All exercise improves insomnia, but muscle exercises are better than others

Strengthen your muscles for better sleep! More weight lifting before sleep!

I get already sleepy just thinking about exercise! 😊

"... The study was a systematic review and meta-analysis of 25 randomized controlled trials conducted between 1996 and 2021, encompassing 2,170 participants. It evaluated and compared the impact of different types of physical exercise on sleep quality in adults aged 60 and older. Participants were included if they had been diagnosed with insomnia according to DSM-5 criteria. ...

The exercise type that produced the best effect on sleep quality was strength or resistance training. This includes using free weights, weight machines or resistance bands. ..."

From the abstract:

"Abstract

Objective

To measure the impact of each type of exercise on sleep quality and identify the exercise that enhances sleep quality the most.

Study selection

Eligible randomised controlled trials that compare physical exercise to routine activities, usual care, non-physical activity, or health education to measure the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index.

Data source

Studies retrieved from Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, ClinicalTrial.gov and ThaiJo from the database’s inception to October 2022.

Data extraction and synthesis

Two reviewers independently identified studies, collected data and assessed bias. In the absence of heterogeneity, a fixed effect model was used for pairwise meta-analysis. Alternatively, a random effect model was used. A two-stage network meta-analysis used the surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) to compare exercise efficacy.

Main outcome

Global Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (GPSQI) and subdomain score.

Results

This review comprised 2170 people from 25 trials. Direct meta-analysis revealed significant improvement in GPSQI with combined exercise (unstandardised mean difference (USMD) −2.35, 95% CI−3.13 to –1.57, p<0.001, I2=69.13%). GPSQI decreased considerably with aerobic activity (USMD −4.36, 95% CI −7.86 to –0.86, p=0.01, I2=97.83%). For the network meta-analysis, strengthening, aerobic and combination exercise significantly lowered GPSQI (USMD−5.75, –3.76 and −2.54, respectively). Strength training improved GPSQI scores most effectively (SUCRA 94.6%).

Conclusion

Exercise that strengthens muscles, rather than aerobic or combination exercises, is the most effective way to enhance sleep quality."

All exercise improves insomnia, but some types are better than others "A new study has ranked the best types of exercise for improving sleep quality. The findings demonstrate that exercise is an easy-to-implement, relatively cheap, and particularly effective way of treating insomnia, a common problem for older adults."

Impact of different types of physical exercise on sleep quality in older population with insomnia: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (open access)