Interrelationship between Sleep and Exercise: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Although a substantial body of literature has explored the relationship between sleep and exercise, comprehensive reviews and definitive conclusions about the impact of exercise interventions on sleep are lacking. Electronic databases were searched for articles published between January 2013 and March 2017. Studies were included if they possessed either objective or subjective measures of sleep and an exercise intervention that followed the guidelines recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine. Thirty-four studies met these inclusion criteria. Twenty-nine studies concluded that exercise improved sleep quality or duration; however, four found no difference and one reported a negative impact of exercise on sleep. Study results varied most significantly due to participants' age, health status, and the mode and intensity of exercise intervention. Mixed findings were reported for children, adolescents, and young adults. Interventions conducted with middle-aged and elderly adults reported more robust results. In these cases, exercise promoted increased sleep efficiency and duration regardless of the mode and intensity of activity, especially in populations suffering from disease. Our review suggests that sleep and exercise exert substantial positive effects on one another; however, to reach a true consensus, the mechanisms behind these observations must first be elucidated.

Exercise training improves sleep quality: A randomized controlled trial

“…In our study, we did not find differences between any group in any sleep quality parameters, although all three training groups improved their baseline values while the control group did not. Our results agree with others studies that demonstrated that the benefits of exercise in sleep quality parameters are independent of exercise type, exercise intensity and exercise duration . However, the lack of differences between groups could be due to the underpowered sample size.…”

“…All training groups improved the PSQI global score, PAR (−34.77%), HIIT (−34.85%) and HIIT‐EMS (−40.71%), enhancing therefore the subjective sleep quality. Dolezal et al in a recent systematic review showed that exercise increased subjective sleep quality regardless of the mode and the intensity of activity. Our results agree with a previous meta‐analysis which revealed that exercise training has a benefit on sleep quality in middle‐aged adults, indicated by decreases in the PSQI global score .…”

“…Our results agree with others studies that demonstrated that the benefits of exercise in sleep quality parameters are independent of exercise type, exercise intensity and exercise duration. 3,9,24 However, the lack of differences between groups could be due to the underpowered sample size.…”

Child and Parent Perceived Determinants of Children’s Inadequate Sleep Health. A Concept Mapping Study

“…Four perceived behavioural determinants were identified; energy, physical activity, activating activities, and dietary behaviour. It is generally accepted that adequate physical activity during the day promotes sleep at night [30,31]. This presumable relationship seems to be bidirectional, as the quantity and quality of sleep also seems related to physical activity the following day [32,33], creating a vicious circle [31].…”

Acute intense exercise improves sleep and decreases next morning consumption of energy‐dense food in adolescent girls with obesity and evening chronotype

“…Physical activity has been suggested as a nonpharmacological alternative treatment for sleep disorders . It is generally agreed that the duration and quality of sleep are increased by regular physical activity in adults, and it has been suggested that an exercise‐mediated effect on sleep can even be observed in the short term . In adolescents, Dworak et al found that an acute high‐intensity exercise session resulted in a higher sleep efficiency, decreased sleep latency, elevated slow wave sleep (SWS) proportion, and less time spent in Stage 2 .…”