Effect of High-Intensity Interval Training on Quality of Life, Sleep Quality, Exercise Motivation and Enjoyment in Sedentary People with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

(1) Background: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) people’s health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is affected by glycemic control. Regular exercise is strongly recommended to these patients due to its cardiovascular and metabolic benefits. However, a large percentage of patients with T1DM people present a sedentary behavior because of the fear of a post-exercise hypoglycemia event, lack of time, lack of motivation and the complicated management of exercise, glycemic and insulin dose interaction. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is an efficient and safe methodology since it prevents hypoglycemia and does not require much time, which are the main barriers for this population to doing exercise and increasing physical conditioning. (2) Methods: Nineteen sedentary adults (37 ± 6.5 years) with T1DM, were randomly assigned to 6 weeks of either HIIT (12-16-20 × 30-s intervals interspersed with 1-min rest periods) performed thrice weekly, or to the control group, which did not train. HRQoL, sleep quality, exercise motivation and enjoyment were measured as psychological variables. (4) Results: HRQoL improved in physical and social domains, PF (1.9%); PR (80.3%); GH (16.6); SF (34.1%). Sleep quality improved in the HIIT group by 21.4%. Enjoyment improved by 7% and intrinsic motivation was increased by 13%. (5) Conclusions: We suggest that the 6-week HIIT program used in the present study is safe, since no severe hypoglycemia were reported, and an effective strategy in improving HRQoL, sleep quality, exercise motivation and enjoyment which are important psychological well-being factors in T1DM people.

Short High-Intensity Interval Exercise for Workplace-Based Physical Activity Interventions: A Systematic Review on Feasibility and Effectiveness

“…Four of the selected studies [21,[39][40][41] explored the effect of workplace HIT interventions on psychological outcomes, reporting trivial-to-medium improvements in HR-QoL and its subscales (vitality, general health, mental wellbeing), in accordance with other studies in the literature, which reported similar findings following HIT [71]. Moreover, part of this effect could be explained by the group-based nature of HIT interventions, as social interactions during exercise have been shown to positively influence overall quality of life compared to exercising alone [72].…”

Psychological Adaptations to High-Intensity Interval Training in Overweight and Obese Adults: A Topical Review

“…However, studies investigating the impact of low-volume HIIT protocols on specific dimensions of HRQL (e.g., vitality, social functioning, and mental health) indicated meaningful improvements in overweight and obese individuals following either short- or long-term interventions [ 40 , 43 , 46 , 76 , 77 , 78 , 79 , 80 ]. Similarly, HIIT demonstrates beneficial effects on HRQL in other populations such as healthy inactive adults [ 81 , 82 ] and sedentary people with type 1 diabetes mellitus [ 83 ] or coronary artery disease [ 84 ], but these adaptations are not different from those observed for MICT [ 78 ]. It is important to note that people achieving the optional physical activity levels are likely to have higher HRQL levels compared to inactive individuals [ 85 , 86 ].…”

Exercise, type 1 diabetes mellitus and blood glucose: The implications of exercise timing

“…Therefore, individuals should also consider whether evening exercise impacts their sleep, and perhaps modify exercise time accordingly. It therefore seems likely that performing exercise at any time of day (with the exception being HIIT ≤ 1 h before bedtime) improves sleep outcomes when compared to no exercise at all in those with type 1 diabetes ( 49 ), and thus identifies another mechanism through exercise can elicit desirable effects for those with type 1 diabetes.…”