Combination, Aerobic Exercise Improves Sleep Quality in Seniors

FRIDAY, March 7, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Exercise, particularly strengthening exercise and aerobic exercise, can improve the sleep quality of older adults, according to a review published online March 3 in Family Medicine and Community Health.

Pakwan Bahalayothin, from Mahidol University in Bangkok, and colleagues conducted a systematic literature review to measure the impact of each type of exercise on sleep quality and to identify the exercise that enhances sleep quality the most. Participants in the studies were 60 years of age and older.

Based on pooled data from 2,170 people (25 trials), the researchers found significant improvement in the Global Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (GPSQI) with combined exercise (unstandardized mean difference [USMD], −2.35; I² = 69.13 percent). With aerobic activity, there were significant decreases in GPSQI (USMD, −4.36; I² = 97.83 percent). Strengthening, aerobic, and combination exercise significantly lowered GPSQI in a network meta-analysis (USMD, −5.75, –3.76, and −2.54, respectively). GPSQI was most effectively improved with strength training (surface under the cumulative ranking curve, 94.6 percent).

“This study shows that exercise, particularly strengthening exercise and aerobic exercise, is beneficial for enhancing subjective sleep quality at a clinically significant level compared with normal activities, which is consistent with previous studies,” the authors write. “Nevertheless, caution should be applied when interpreting this study because of the diverse exercise characteristics, the small number of studies, and the high risk of bias among studies.”

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