New findings on the best exercise for older adults to treat insomnia

Older adults often have difficulty sleeping, from difficulty falling asleep, waking up in the middle of the night, to waking up early in the morning... This condition increases the risk of physical and mental health problems.

The good news is that new research just published in the medical journal BMJ Evidence Based Medicine has found an effective exercise to treat insomnia.

Several studies have shown that exercise is helpful in promoting good sleep, so researchers wanted to compare the effectiveness of different exercise interventions in improving sleep quality and reducing insomnia severity in patients with insomnia.

This sleep loss increases the risk of physical and mental health conditions.

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3 highly effective exercises to treat insomnia

Scientists from China, in collaboration with experts from North South University (Bangladesh), conducted a review of 22 studies, including 1,348 participants, looking at 13 separate interventions, of which seven were exercise-based: yoga, tai chi, walking or jogging, aerobic exercise combined with strength training, strength training alone, aerobic exercise combined with therapy, and mixed aerobic exercise. These programs lasted from 4 to 26 weeks.

Results have found that some exercise-based interventions appear to be effective when compared with existing treatments.

Specifically, yoga practice can significantly increase total sleep time by nearly 2 hours and improve sleep efficiency by nearly 15%. This exercise also reduces the time it takes to wake up in the middle of the night by nearly 1 hour and shortens the time it takes to fall asleep by about half an hour.

Walking or jogging can significantly reduce the severity of insomnia, according to the medical news site News Medical.

While tai chi can increase total sleep time by more than 50 minutes and reduce the time it takes to wake up in the middle of the night by more than half an hour, it can also shorten the time it takes to fall asleep by about 25 minutes.

Walking or jogging can improve sleep by increasing energy expenditure and limiting production of the stress hormone cortisol.

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Best Exercises to Treat Insomnia

Further analysis found that tai chi worked significantly better than existing treatments, according to News Medical.

The researchers explain:

Tai Chi focuses on breath control and body relaxation, which helps reduce sympathetic nervous system activity. The combination of meditative movements and mindfulness can promote emotional regulation and reduce anxiety. It can also help limit the production of inflammatory substances over the long term.

Meanwhile, yoga, with its focus on body awareness, breath control, and attention training, can alter brain activity, thereby reducing anxiety and depressive symptoms that often interfere with good sleep.

Walking or jogging can improve sleep by increasing energy expenditure, limiting production of the stress hormone cortisol, improving emotional regulation, promoting the secretion of the sleep hormone melatonin, and increasing the time spent in deep sleep.

The authors concluded: These findings further emphasize the therapeutic potential of exercise in the treatment of insomnia, suggesting that it may be used as an effective treatment.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/phat-hien-moi-ve-bai-tap-tot-nhat-de-nguoi-lon-tuoi-tri-mat-ngu-185250716162112219.htm