Insomniacs looking for a good night's sleep may want to hit the
treadmill, take a walk or play a game of golf or tennis because a new
report released on Monday shows exercise promotes good sleep and the
more vigorous the workout the better.
Just 10 minutes of exercise a day could make a difference in the
duration and quality of sleep, the survey by the non-profit National
Sleep Foundation showed.
"We found that exercise and great sleep
go together, hand in hand," Max Hirshkowitz, a sleep researcher and the
chair of the poll task force, said in an interview.
"We also found a step-wise increase in how vigorous the quality is, in
terms of how much you exercise. So if you say you exercise a lot, we
found better sleep quality. For people who don't exercise at all we
found more sleep problems."
Earlier research studies have
shown the impact of exercise on sleep, but Hirshkowitz, who is a
professor at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, said the survey is
the first to detail the benefits of exercise in a nationally
representative poll of this size.
People who described themselves as exercisers reported better sleep
than their more sedentary counterparts, although the amount of sleep, an
average of just under seven hours on weeknight, was the same.
More
than 75 percent of the 1,000 people questioned in the Internet and
telephone poll who described themselves as exercisers said they slept
well, compared to just over half of people who did no exercise.
Very
active people reported fewer sleep problems, dozed off quicker and
needed less shut eye a night to function at their best during the day.
Sitting, more than eight hours daily also had a negative impact on sleep, according to the poll.
NAPS, STRUGGLING TO STAY AWAKE
Nearly
half of Americans report experiencing insomnia occasionally, and 22
percent suffer from the condition, which can be caused by stress,
anxiety, pain and medication, every or almost every night, according to
the foundation.
In addition to poorer sleep, non-exercisers also
were less likely to report good or excellent health compared to active
people and had more trouble staying awake while driving and eating.
Nearly
three times as many sedentary people said they have trouble keeping
awake during the day than exercisers. They also took more naps and had
more symptoms of sleep apnea, a disorder that causes shallow breaths or
pauses in breathing during sleep, than exercisers,More than 44
percent of non-exercisers were at a moderate risk for sleep apnea, a
higher percentage than active people questioned in the poll.
The
survey also seemed to debunk the idea that exercising early or late in
the day would adversely impact sleep because it showed that being active
at any time of the day was better than being sedentary.
"Exercise
is beneficial to sleep," Dr. Barbara Phillips, a member of the poll
task force, said in a statement. "It's time to revise global
recommendations for improving sleep and put exercise - any time - at the
top of our list for healthy sleep habits."
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