Posted on 03/14/2025 6:27:31 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
Resistance or muscle-strengthening exercise, using weights or the body itself, may be the best type of exercise for tackling insomnia in older age, suggests a pooled data analysis of the available research.
Aerobic exercise or a mix of strength, aerobic, balance, and flexibility exercises also seem to be effective.
The researchers scoured research databases for relevant clinical trials, published up to October 2022, that compared physical exercise with routine activities, usual care, other non-physical activity, or health education in people formally diagnosed with insomnia, using the Global Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (GPSQI).
The types of exercise covered by the studies included: aerobic, such as cycling, dancing, swimming, brisk walking, and gardening; resistance, such as using weights, push-ups, and planks; balance, such as step-ups, heel-to-toe walking; flexibility, such as gymnastics, yoga, and Pilates; and combination exercise encompassing a mix.
Twenty-four studies, involving 2,045 adults aged at least 60 (average 70), were included in the pooled data analysis.
Over half of the reported exercise intensity was mild to moderate and moderate, with an average length of a session of just over 50 minutes, and frequency around two to three times a week. On average, the exercise programs lasted 14 weeks.
This analysis showed that combined exercise significantly improved the GPSQI by 2.35 points while aerobic activity improved it by 4.35 points.
When the data were pooled using a network meta analysis–a statistical method that combines both direct and indirect effects—strength/resistance exercise was the most effective, improving the GPSQI by 5.75 points.
Aerobic exercise improved the GPQSI by 3.76 points, while combination exercise improved it by 2.54.
Of the comparators, sleep education was the most effective, although what this entailed wasn't clearly defined in the included studies, and it still wasn't as good as muscle strengthening/resistance exercise, the analysis showed.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
If you are able, hard exercise about 5 hours before bed is best.
I don’t think a person needs cardio, unless they want to run miles. You should get plenty of cardio from the other exercises.
What if she says no?
It only works if I turn in at midnight....however a good work out at the gym lowers my BP for a couple of days....Spokeshave at 83.
Is she running?
No, I couldn’t catch her if she did. She says she has a headache or something lame.
I know this to be true. If I get out and do 600 to 1,200 ft climb over 2 to 3 miles in the hills in the afternoon, I sleep really well.
Interlocking grip, head down. Keep elbow straight, follow through.
Golf, right?
Of course.
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