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Effects of Moderate-Intensity Exercise on Polysomnographic and Subjective Sleep Quality in Older Adults With Mild to Moderate Sleep Complaints

¹ Department of Health Research & Policy and ² Stanford Prevention Research Center (SPRC), Stanford University School of Medicine, California.
³ Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle.
⁴ Veterans Administration Palo Alto Health Care Services, California.
⁵ Department of Neurology, Emory University Medical School, Atlanta, Georgia.

Address correspondence to Abby King, PhD, SPRC, 211 Quarry Rd., Room N229, Stanford, CA 94305-5705. E-mail:king{at}stanford.edu

Background. This study sought to determine the 12-month effects of exercise increases on objective and subjective sleep quality in initially inactive older persons with mild to moderate sleep complaints.

Methods. A nonclinical sample of underactive adults 55 years old or older (n = 66) with mild to moderate chronic sleep complaints were randomly assigned to a 12-month program of primarily moderate-intensity endurance exercise (n = 36) or a health education control program (n = 30). The main outcome measure was polysomnographic sleep recordings, with additional measures of subjective sleep quality, physical activity, and physical fitness. Directional hypotheses were tested.

Results. Using intent-to-treat methods, at 12 months exercisers, relative to controls, spent significantly less time in polysomnographically measured Stage 1 sleep (between-arm difference = 2.3, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.7–4.0; p =.003), spent more time in Stage 2 sleep (between-arm difference = 3.2, 95% CI, 0.6–5.7; p =.04), and had fewer awakenings during the first third of the sleep period (between-arm difference = 1.0, 95% CI, 0.39–1.55; p =.03). Exercisers also reported greater 12-month improvements relative to controls in Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) sleep disturbance subscale score (p =.009), sleep diary–based minutes to fall asleep (p =.01), and feeling more rested in the morning (p =.02).

Conclusions. Compared with general health education, a 12-month moderate-intensity exercise program that met current physical activity recommendations for older adults improved some objective and subjective dimensions of sleep to a modest degree. The results suggest additional areas for investigation in this understudied area.

Key Words: Physical activity • Exercise • Sleep • Intervention • Older adult • Polysomnography • Subjective sleep