Having problems with insomnia? Exercise may solve problem, study says

This text was written by a TecMundo columnist; Learn more at the end.

Physical exercise can reduce the risk of having problems with something basic but still neglected: sleep. Moreover, it can improve it significantly.

Do you know those aspects that we know are actually important for health, but we gradually give up for various reasons that seem more important at that moment? One of these aspects is sleep. To sleep. It is essential in terms of quantity and quality. If we think spending 1/3 of our lives sleeping is a waste, we’re probably cutting it short.

In his beautiful book “Why We Sleep”, Matthew Walker explains the science of sleep, its benefits and the consequences of insomnia. “The shorter your sleep, the shorter your life,” says the author and researcher.

Sleep recommendations are very clear right now. They stipulate how much sleep we need per night on an hourly basis. Adults: 7 to 9 hours. Teens: 8 to 10 hours. Elderly: 7 to 8 hours. There are more differences across age groups in children; Babies sleep more hours per day than school-aged children.

I know this seems like a long nap, and sometimes we think we can survive relatively well with just a few hours of sleep.

But the truth is that when people are sleep deprived, they don’t fully realize how sleep deprived they are. This is quite misleading and dangerous. Impaired cognitive performance due to instability of mental health, decreased level of arousal and impaired memory. One of the ways to regulate our sleep is physical exercise.

Move more, sleep better

A longitudinal study conducted in nine European countries with a 10-year follow-up period was recently published and discovered an association between physical activity and sleep, particularly in relation to insomnia, in more than 4,000 people. . Those who were physically active during this period, meaning they exercised two or three times a week, had a lower risk of insomnia (22%) and a higher likelihood of sleeping the recommended number of hours per night (6 to 6 hours) (55%). 9 hours ).

The study reveals the importance of staying active over the years; It is seen that those who were active at the beginning of the research gave up their activities in the 2000s and their associations disappeared. Consistency in exercise is very important because it can optimize sleep duration and reduce the risk of insomnia. The most active people were from Norway, the least active were from Spain.

The motivation to exercise today may be to sleep better at night the same day. These are short-term effects that can motivate us to have a better relationship with exercise and form the basis for moving our training forward. One way to explain the effect is the increased production of adenosine, which reduces activities that keep us awake (wakefulness) and increases sleep induction.

It is noteworthy to recognize the bidirectional relationship between sleep and exercise. Both affect each other positively and negatively. Train to get better sleep and sleep better so you can train better the next day. On the other hand, insufficient sleep can be a factor in your routine that prevents you from starting or maintaining exercise. With a lack of physical activity, poor sleep is more likely.

It seems like we tend not to exercise when we sleep poorly. But besides sleep (which is not always possible due to daily work), exercise would be one of the best things to do.

Exercise reverses many of the negative effects of sleep deprivation. A recent study showed that 20 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise improved cognitive function after three nights of partial sleep deprivation and one night of complete sleep deprivation. Deciding to exercise despite sleep deprivation isn’t always easy. Choose something fun and/or social these days.

There are no medications today with the proven ability to replace the benefits of a good night’s sleep. Sleep seems non-negotiable for our health. Move during the day to sleep better at night.

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Fábio Dominski He holds a PhD in Human Movement Sciences and a degree in Physical Education from Santa Catarina State University (UDESC). He is a university professor and researcher at the Laboratory of Sport and Exercise Psychology (LAPE/UDESC). he is doing scientific dissemination on social media there podcast available on Spotify. Author of Physical Exercise and Science – Facts and Myths.