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Research Suggests Weightlifting Can Help Seniors Beat Insomnia

Recent studies have uncovered an innovative method to combat insomnia among elderly individuals—through weightlifting exercises.

Sleep specialists suggest that engaging in muscle-building exercises like using dumbbells and barbells can significantly improve your capacity to doze off.

Various conventional types of workouts for senior citizens, including aerobics activities like fast-paced walking or Pilates, have also been observed to be advantageous, though not as much so as strength training.

The research, initially featured in the Family Medicine and Community Health Journal, highlighted that insomnia becomes more common in elderly individuals due to ‘deterioration of sleep quality with aging’.

Data from the research indicated that nearly half of older adults report feeling sleepy (approximately 48 percent), and up to one in five suffer from insomnia.

Fatigue is not the sole drawback, as the research also indicates connections between poor-quality sleep and various issues such as
depression
and anxiety.

Cognitive decline, heart disease, and
cancer
There are additional concerns that cause an increase in risk factors among those suffering from insomnia.

The researchers noted that earlier studies had established that exercise can help with insomnia, though it was unclear which specific types of exercise were most effective.


The research encompassed evaluating 24 clinical studies involving more than 2,045 participants who were 60 years old or older.

The exercises examined in the studies encompassed various categories: aerobic activities like cycling, dancing, swimming, fast-paced walking, and trekking; strength training involving weightlifting, arm curls, wall push-ups, and using resistance machines or gear; balance-focused movements including side stepping, toe-heel walking, and single-legged stands; stretching routines such as gymnastics, yoga, dance, and Pilates for enhanced flexibility; along with combined forms that integrated multiple kinds of these exercises.

In every study reviewed, over fifty percent incorporated physical activity ranging from light to moderately intense, or strictly moderate-intensity exercises. Typically, each session spanned roughly 50 minutes, conducted about two to three times per week. Generally speaking, these exercise programs ran for approximately 14 weeks altogether.

The findings indicated that when measured with a typical scale for sleep and sleep quality, strength or resistance exercises were significantly more effective at reducing insomnia compared to other methods.

The assessment tool utilized was the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), a straightforward questionnaire designed to evaluate sleep patterns.

Utilizing this method, the detailed analysis indicated that strength/resistance exercises enhanced the GPSQI score by 5.75 points.

Aerobic workouts boosted the GPQSI score by 3.76 points, whereas combined exercises increased it by 2.54 points.

The researchers from the Mahidol University Faculty of Medicine located in Bangkok determined that, “Exercises aimed at strengthening muscles, as opposed to aerobic or combined exercise routines, prove to be the most efficient method for improving sleep quality.”

Huw Edwards, who leads ukactive—the United Kingdom’s trade association for the physical activity industry—stated: “Engaging in physical activities significantly impacts both our physical and mental well-being. It offers numerous advantages including enhanced quality of sleep, decreased levels of stress and anxiety, increased productivity, stronger social connections, and an overall improvement in one’s state of mind.”

‘This study shows the essential role resistance training can play in tackling insomnia for older age groups, and we know that exercise not only supports quality sleep but that a good night’s sleep can help us feel better and be more productive the following day.

Our findings indicate that improving sleep quality (66%) is a key reason why individuals engage in physical activity. Therefore, it’s crucial that everybody, regardless of their age, background, or capability, feels encouraged to incorporate physical exercise into their everyday routines.

‘We want to make the UK the most active nation in Europe, which would bring savings of up to £1bn a year in healthcare spending linked to physical inactivity, and an additional £3.6bn in GDP through increased productivity.’

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