Being active is known to improve sleep, but research results are mixed about the best workout. Some studies say light walking or stretching is best, others favor moderate-intensity workouts like jogging—and some even find that vigorous exercise like swimming worsens sleep.
Addressing this discrepancy is important because good sleep is known to reduce the risk of dementia. An estimated 8 to 10 million older adults in the United States living with mild cognitive impairment — which sometimes precedes dementia — struggle to get a good night’s sleep. They sleep about 34 minutes less per night than others, take longer to fall asleep and spend more time awake throughout the night.
Now, researchers at the Texas A&M University School of Public Health’s Center for Community Health and Aging have a clear answer to the exercise question: Both light and vigorous exercise can reduce sleep disturbances in older adults with mild cognitive impairment.
“Most previous studies of sleep problems with this group relied on self-reported surveys, which can be problematic for participants with cognitive impairments,” said digital healthcare expert Jungju “Jay” Lee, who conducted the study with health behavior expert Junhyung “Paul” Kim. “We used more objective measurements.”
for their study in the journal Digital HealthLee and Kim used the Ora Ring to measure the effects of different intensities of physical activity on sleep disturbance in seven older adults with mild cognitive impairment at a long-term care facility in the United States.
For 14 days, Lee and Kim classified the wearers’ movement as light, moderate or vigorous based on metabolic equivalents and characterized restless sleep based on a specific combination of data on physical movement, heart rate spikes and changes in skin temperature. During that time, they met with participants twice per week for 15 to 20 minutes.
“We found that high-intensity exercise was the best way to improve sleep for these older adults,” Kim said. “For every additional second of vigorous activity, sleep disruption decreases by about one-fifth of a second.”
Light activity also reduced sleep problems, although the effect was much smaller and moderate exercise did not have a significant effect.
Despite several limitations of their study, including its small sample size and not breaking down participants’ physical activity patterns (such as cardiovascular or strength training), Lee and Kim believe their findings fill an important gap.
“The number of older adults with mild cognitive impairment in the United States alone is projected to increase by 76%—more than 21 million people—by 2060,” Kim said.
“Adaptive exercise programs such as group walking clubs or swimming lessons can be practical, fun and long-lasting ways for these older adults to prolong their quality of life.”
Source: Texas A&M University
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