Content uploaded by Shawn D Youngstedt
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Shawn D Youngstedt on Mar 08, 2016
Content may be subject to copyright.
A preview of the PDF is not available
The Effects of Acute Exercise on Sleep: A Quantitative Synthesis
Abstract and Figures
We used meta-analytic methods to examine the influence of acute exercise on sleep. Thirty-eight studies were reviewed yielding 211 effects on 401 subjects. Mean effect sizes were calculated for sleep onset latency (SOL), stage 2, slow-wave sleep (SWS), rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, REM latency (REM-L), total sleep time (TST), and wakefulness after sleep onset (WASO). Moderating influences of subject fitness, heat load, exercise duration, time of day, associated light environment (i.e. indoor or outdoor), sleep schedule, and the scientific quality of the studies were examined.
Effect sizes for SWS, REM, REM-L, and TST were moderate [0.18–0.52 standard deviation (SD)] and their associated 95% confidence intervals did not include zero. Exercise duration and time of day were the most consistent moderator variables. In contrast with previous hypotheses, heat load had little influence on sleep.
The results of our quantitative synthesis of the literature are inconsistent with previous narrative reviews (1,2) which suggested that exercise elicits larger changes in sleep than those quantified in this meta-analysis. A major delimitation of published studies on the effects of acute exercise has been an exclusive focus on good sleepers. Hence, the effects we report herein may be underestimates of the efficacy of exercise for enhancing sleep among people with sleep disturbances.
Figures - uploaded by Shawn D Youngstedt
Author content
All figure content in this area was uploaded by Shawn D Youngstedt
Content may be subject to copyright.
... muscle mass, blood pressure) [82,84]. Improving sleep quality [69,89,90], reducing perceived stress [44] and symptoms of depression [91], regulating stress levels [92], and overall improving quality of life [13,69,82,83] are all ways to improve mental health. Consequently, treatment compliance is enhanced [70,82,91], resulting in a reduction in substance use [93]. ...
... Specifically, the results of these studies suggest that these patients benefit from participating in aerobic exercise programs and should therefore regularly exercise to enhance their therapeutic goal [93] and to treat symptoms for which opioid maintenance therapy appears to be deficient [96]. Indeed, physical exercise reduces the symptoms of pain [86], improves the quality of sleep [89,90], and is a key factor in maintaining the ideal body weight [88]. Similarly, observational studies also suggest exercise as an effective complementary intervention to improve chronic pain [240], anxiety, and depression [115,241], symptoms that are common among patients receiving methadone maintenance therapy [241]. ...
... Overall, aerobic exercise appears to be effective in improving osteoporosis [38,39,85], chronic pain and hypersensitivity [86], sleep disorders [89,90], perceived anxiety [44], depression [13], weight gain [88] and poor quality of life [50] observed among patients receiving OMT. Moreover, physical exercise improves body image by increasing self-esteem and self-confidence [50]. ...
It is generally accepted that chronic opioid use is associated with structural and functional changes in the human brain that lead to an enhancement of impulsive behavior for immediate satisfaction. Interestingly, in recent years, physical exercise interventions have been used as an adjunctive treatment for patients with opioid use disorders (OUDs). Indeed, exercise has positive effects on both the biological and psychosocial basis of addiction, modifying neural circuits such as the reward, inhibition, and stress systems, and thus causing behavioral changes. This review focuses on the possible mechanisms that contribute to the beneficial effects of exercise on the treatment of OUDs, with emphasis placed on the description of a sequential consolidation of these mechanisms. Exercise is thought to act initially as a factor of internal activation and self-regulation and eventually as a factor of commitment. This approach suggests a sequential (temporal) consolidation of the functions of exercise in favor of gradual disengagement from addiction. Particularly, the sequence in which the exercise-induced mechanisms are consolidated follows the pattern of internal activation—self-regulation—commitment, eventually resulting in stimulation of the endocannabinoid and endogenous opioid systems. Additionally, this is accompanied by modification of molecular and behavioral aspects of opioid addiction. Overall, the neurobiological actions of exercise in combination with certain psychological mechanisms appear to promote its beneficial effects. Given the positive effects of exercise on both physical and mental health, exercise prescription is recommended as a complement to conventional therapy for patients on opioid maintenance treatment.
... [2][3][4][5] Exercise has been proven to be a low-cost and effective way to improve sleep. 6,7 A previous systematic review and meta-analysis showed regular exercise and daytime acute exercise had beneficial effects on sleep quality. 8 Time-use epidemiology showed that exercising and sleeping time competed with each other in daily life. ...
... What is more, previous analyses found even if exercise during the day, REM sleep still decreased. 7,8,58 However, decreased REM sleep was not necessarily harmful. A previous study found that decreased REM sleep could reflect the consolidation of REM sleep and could also be the result of enhanced SWS. ...
... 15,48 The meta-analysis of Frimpong et al also showed that evening HIE ended 2 h before bedtime significantly decreased SOL and increased TST. 21 Although some studies found that compared with no exercise, evening HIE and MIE ended 2-4 h before bedtime decreased REM sleep, 21,45,47 the decreases in REM sleep were also found in daytime exercise [6][7][8] and, as we discussed above, the decreases in REM sleep did not necessarily indicate a negative effect on sleep. These results of subgroup analyses consolidated the main finding that evening exercise regardless of intensity did not disrupt subsequent sleep. ...
The effects of different intensities of evening exercise on subsequent sleep remain contradictory. Thus, this systematic review and network meta-analysis aimed to compare and rank the effects of different intensities of acute evening exercise on sleep in healthy adults with good sleep. Articles were systematically searched journals indexed in the PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, and Scopus databases from inception to the 5th of May, 2022. The basic search terms included exercise, sleep and timing, which were combined with AND. Of the 12,203 retrieved, twenty-eight studies with 325 participants met the inclusion criteria. Results revealed that there were no significant differences in terms of impacts on sleep caused by different intensities of acute evening exercise, except that when compared to no exercise, acute evening high-intensity exercise decreased rapid eye movement sleep (mean difference [MD] = -1.95%, 95% credible interval [CI] = -3.58 to -0.35). Compared to no exercise, acute evening moderate-intensity exercise was ranked as the most potential method to improve sleep, displaying a trend to improve wake time after sleep onset (MD = -2.50 min, 95% CI = -8.17 to 1.62), sleep efficiency (MD = +0.41%, 95% CI = -0.71 to 1.66), the proportion of stage N1 (MD = -0.72%, 95% CI = -2.08 to 0.71) and N3 sleep (slow-wave sleep) (MD = +0.84%, 95% CI = -1.17 to 2.78). Acute evening low-intensity exercise displayed the greatest tendency to shorten sleep onset latency (MD = -1.02 min, 95% CI = -4.39 to 2.50) compared to no exercise. Overall, regardless of intensity, acute evening exercise completed before bedtime does not disrupt subsequent sleep in healthy young and middle-aged adults.
... One way to improve sleep quality can be exercise. A number of studies have shown that acute and longterm exercise increases slow-wave sleep and total sleep time, as well as decreases the time period between initial attempts to fall asleep and the onset of sleep (Kubitz et al., 1996;O'Connor & Youngstedt, 1995;Youngstedt et al., 1997). Physical activity elicits feelings of health and vitality, reduces cardiovascular disease, improves blood lipid proteins, and has a beneficial effect on immune-related health. ...
This study aims to examine sleep quality and well-being of college students according to their amount of exercise, field of study and academic school year. 367 college students from different academic disciplines submitted a questionnaire via Google Forms relating to the amount of exercise they engage in, sleep quality and well-being. Physical-education students exercise more than other disciplines (4.8 compared to 2.7; p<0.001). Their sleep quality is better compared to students from other disciplines (5.72 compared to 5.05, p<0.05). Moreover, sleep quality of freshmen students who exercise more is better (5.33 compared to 4.85, p=0.002). To ensure adequate quality of life and a better well-being of College students, it is recommended to enhance the level of the students' weekly physical activity, as well as implement an educational program for physical activity in their curriculum, and as early as their first year of study.
... There is an extensive literature on this topic in adults (94,95). Meta-analyses conducted in the 1990s concluded that exercise had a positive effect on sleep, albeit small (96,97). However, we note that many of the studies included in these meta-analyses were conducted in good sleepers, thus limiting the potential improvement of sleep through a ceiling effect. ...
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the most common rheumatic disease in young people. Although biologics now enable most children and adolescents with JIA to enjoy clinical remission, patients present lower physical activity and spend more time in sedentary behavior than their healthy counterparts. This impairment probably results from a physical deconditioning spiral initiated by joint pain, sustained by apprehension on the part of both the child and the child’s parents, and entrenched by lowered physical capacities. This in turn may exacerbate disease activity and lead to unfavorable health outcomes including increased risks of metabolic and mental comorbidities. Over the past few decades, there has been growing interest in the health benefits of increased overall physical activity as well as exercise interventions in young people with JIA. However, we are still far from evidence-based physical activity and / or exercise prescription for this population. In this review, we give an overview of the available data supporting physical activity and / or exercise as a behavioral, non-pharmacological alternative to attenuate inflammation while also improving metabolism, disease symptoms, poor sleep, synchronization of circadian rhythms, mental health, and quality of life in JIA. Finally, we discuss clinical implications, identify gaps in knowledge, and outline a future research agenda.
... Previous review articles and meta analyses have shown that, generally, PA and/or exercise is beneficial to sleep (Kredlow et al., 2015;Kubitz et al., 1996;Youngstedt et al., 1997). Studies have shown the effects of PA on sleep are both acute (short-term; typically one day of measuring physical activity and sleep), or chronic (long-term, multiple days of assessment). ...
Prior work suggests physical activity (PA) is related to quantity and quality of sleep. Questions remain regarding directionality, and whether relationships vary by age, sex, and race. We examined daily bidirectional associations between PA and sleep over one week. Participants were 427 adults from the MIDUS Biomarker study, with a mean age of 54.21 ± 11.67 (61% female, 30% non-white). PA (total activity) and sleep (total sleep time; TST and waking after sleep onset; WASO) were measured with an ActiWatch 64. Multilevel mixed-effects models showed differences in the relationships between PA and sleep by age, race, and sex. Following a day with increased PA, younger and nonwhite participants had significantly shorter TST. Days with higher PA were also associated with less WASO for younger participants. Bidirectional effects also emerged; following a night with shorter TST, men, not women, engaged in less next-day PA. Like other studies of daily PA and sleep, effect sizes were small. Future studies should assess potential mechanisms that could explain these demographic differences.
... The typical circadian decreases of cortisol observed during the early sleep period occur concomitantly with slow-wave sleep (Buckley and Schatzberg 2005). A recent meta-analysis has suggested that evening exercise results in a relative reduction in stage 1 sleep and a relative increase in slow-wave sleep (Stutz et al. 2019), consistent with previous reviews that reported increases in slow-wave sleep following acute exercise (Youngstedt et al. 1997). Despite a statistical difference, however, the clinical relevance of these effects has nonetheless been questioned (Stutz et al. 2019), and more recent well-controlled studies suggest that 30 min of moderate-intensity cycling 90 min before sleep has no effect on slow-wave sleep (Miller et al. 2020). ...
The effects of acute exercise on the cortisol awakening response (CAR), characterized by the rapid increase in cortisol concentrations within the 30–45 min following sleep offset has yet to be fully elucidated. Thus, our study investigated the effects of late-evening acute exercise on the CAR the following morning. We hypothesized that exercise would have a significant effect on the CAR the following morning. Twelve participants (mean (SD): age = 23 (4) years; mass = 76.8 (8.7) kg; height = 175.6 (5.0) cm; V˙\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$${\dot{\text{V}}}$$\end{document}O2max = 48.9 (7.5) ml.kg⁻¹.min⁻¹) reported to the laboratory in the evening (1800 h) on two occasions and were randomly assigned to either exercise for one hour (70–75% of maximal power output) or rest condition. Blood and saliva samples were assayed for cortisol. Mixed-effects models determined the effect of exercise on the cortisol response post-waking in both blood and saliva. Participants demonstrated an average exercise-induced increase in circulating cortisol of 477.3%, with actual mean (SD) heart rate relative to maximum of 87.04% (6.14%). Model results demonstrated a negative effect for exercise condition when modeling the serum and salivary cortisol responses to awakening via a quadratic growth model (serum, βCondition = − 42.26 [95% CI − 64.52 to − 20.01], p < 0.001; saliva, βCondition = − 11.55 [95% CI − 15.52 to − 7.57], p < 0.001). These results suggest that cortisol concentrations in saliva and blood are significantly lower the morning following a prior evening exercise session. Therefore, the CAR may serve as a useful biomarker to monitor responses to exercise training, although the underlying mechanism for these decreases in the CAR should be investigated further.
Previous systematic reviews and meta-analysis of sleep interventions with young adults have not reached consensus on what contributes to their efficacy. Behaviour-change theories may influence the efficacy of interventions; hence, the aim of this research was to investigate the role of such theories in sleep interventions with this population. Six electronic databases and reference lists were searched (April-May 2021) for published sleep behaviour-change interventions with emerging adults (aged 18-29 years) that used control groups. A selection of 20 studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria, but only six were based on behaviour-change theories. Meta-analysis was run with eight studies, as the others had a high risk of bias or did not present the necessary data to calculate Hedges' g. The estimation of a random effects model for the studies showed a small effect in the sleep quality of the participants in the experimental group (g = -0.26; 95% confidence interval -0.42 to -0.09), with low levels of heterogeneity (I2 = 21%), and a small 95% prediction interval (-0.59 to 0.08). Although we could not examine theory or any other moderators of the effect, a qualitative analysis of the behaviour-change techniques present in the interventions leads us to hypothesise that there is not a direct link between behaviour-change techniques and the success of the intervention. Other characteristics of the interventions may be linked to their variable levels of efficacy and should be investigated in the future, as for now there are no answers as to what the key is for successful sleep interventions.
The question that guided this review is whether exercise can add to the improvements in insomnia in patients treated with cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I). CBT-I has long been recommended as the first-line treatment of chronic insomnia. However, CBT-I is not effective for as many as 30% to 40% of patients with insomnia. There is accumulating evidence for positive effects on insomnia following acute and chronic exercise. However, to the best of our knowledge, the effects of CBT-I combined with exercise have not been explored in clinical trials. In this article, we develop a rationale for combining CBT-I with exercise.
Özet: Çalışmanın amacı, milli sporcuların zaman kullanma stilleri ile uyku davranış düzeyleri arasındaki ilişkiyi bazı demografik değişkenlere göre incelemektir. Çalışmada birden fazla değişken arasındaki ilişkileri belirlemek amacıyla ilişkisel tarama modeli kullanılmıştır. Araştırmanın evrenini A, B ve C milli sporcu belgelerinden en az birini almış olan milli sporcular oluşturmaktadır. Çalışmanın örneklemini ise kolayda örnekleme yöntemiyle seçilen, 24,4±5,65 yaş ortalamasına sahip, 27 farklı branştaki 224 (81 kadın, 143 erkek) milli sporcu (75 A milli, 73 B milli, 76 C milli) oluşturmaktadır. Veri toplama aracı olarak kişisel bilgi formu, Zaman Kullanma Stilleri Ölçeği (ZKSÖ) ve Sporcu Uyku Davranış Anketi (SUDA) kullanılmıştır. Analiz için SPSS 26 paket programı kullanılmıştır. Verilerin normalliği için Skewness-Kurtosis değerlerine bakıldıktan sonra analizler için t-Testi, ANOVA ve Pearson korelasyon testleri yapılmıştır. Milli sporcuların cinsiyet ile spor türü değişkenine yönelik SUDA ve ZKSÖ alt boyut ve toplam puanlarında anlamlı bir farklılık bulunmamıştır. Katılımcıların millilik derecesine göre SUDA "sporla ilişkili" alt boyutunda A ve B milli sporcular arasında B milli sporcuların lehine anlamlı farklılık tespit edilmiştir. Katılımcıların millilik derecesine göre A ve B milli sporcuların ZKSÖ "planlı ekonomik zaman kullanımı" alt boyutunda A milli sporcuların lehine anlamlı farklılık bulunmuştur. Yaş ile SUDA "sporla ilişkili" ve ZKSÖ "planlı ekonomik zaman kullanımı" alt boyutları arasında düşük düzeyde pozitif yönlü anlamlı ilişki tespit edilmiştir. SUDA ile ZKSÖ arasında orta düzeyde pozitif yönlü bir ilişki olduğu bulunmuştur. Sonuç olarak milli sporcuların uyku davranış düzeyleri ile zaman kullanma stilleri arasında pozitif yönlü ilişki olduğu; katılımcıların yaşlarının artmasının planlı ekonomik zaman kullanma düzeylerini de pozitif yönde etkileyeceği söylenebilir.
Regular physical activity plays a vital role in both psychological and physiological well-being of people of all ages. Mental well-being, a psychological wellbeing, which is mostly influenced by physical activity. The purpose of the present study is to conceptually investigate the role of physical activity in mental well-being. This paper has focused on exploring physical activity and mental well-being on the basis of Review of Literature, which helped in developing the theoretical framework. The finding of this paper is that the physical activity helps to improve mental well-being. Further, managerial implications have also been discussed. This study is conceptual in nature, which needs to be empirical tested.
Short-acting benzodiazepine hypnotics may phase-shift circadian rhythms and improve adaptation of sleep patterns to abrupt time shifts, depending on the timing of administration. The aim of the present study was to determine whether bedtime administration of Zolpidem, a non-benzodiazepine hypnotic, causes alterations in circadian rhythmicity or in the normal interactions between sleep and hormones. Eight normal women (aged 21– 33 years) each participated in a baseline study and a study with Zolpidem administration. On each occasion, blood samples were obtained at 20-minute intervals for 25 hours, starting at 1000 hours. Zolpidem (10 mg) was given orally at 2245 hours. Zolpidem administration was associated with an increase in stages III + IV sleep. Cortisol, melatonin, thyrotropin and growth hormone profiles were similar in both experimental conditions. In contrast, though remaining in the normal range, the nocturnal elevation of prolactin was enhanced two-fold in all subjects after Zolpidem during early sleep, and prolactin levels were still 50% higher than baseline in late sleep. Morning levels were similar in both studies. In conclusion, bedtime administration of 10 mg Zolpidem, a standard clinical dosage, systematically induces a transient moderate hyperprolactinemia, but does not alter other sleep-related hormonal secretions or endocrine markers of circadian rhythmicity.
This study assessed the effects of a moderately stressful bout of afternoon exercise on the sleep of older adults. Eight women and six men (mean age 64 years) slept in the laboratory for 5 nights. On the afternoon preceding the 4th night of sleep, subjects walked on a motorized treadmill for one hour at a grade and speed eliciting 60% of their maximum aerobic capacity. Polysomnographic results indicated that exercise had no significant effects on sleep stages. There was a trend for older women to have more slow wave sleep than men across all nights. Self-reports suggested better perceived sleep quality following exercise. Results are discussed in terms of conflicting evidence regarding exercise effects on human sleep.
We tested the hypothesis that EEG sleep stages 3 and 4 (slow-wave-sleep, SWS) would be increased as a function of either acute or chronic exercise. Ten distance runners were matched with 10 nonrunners, and their sleep was recorded under both habitual (runners running and nonrunners not running, 3 nights) and abruptly changed (runners not running and nonrunners running, 1 night) conditions. Analyses of both visually scored SWS and computer measures of delta activity during non-rapid eye-movement (NREM) sleep failed to support the SWS-exercise hypothesis. The runners showed a significantly higher proportion and a greater absolute amount of NREM sleep than the nonrunners. The runners showed less rapid eye-movement activity during sleep than the nonrunners under both experimental conditions, indicating a strong and unexpected effect of physical fitness on this measure. Modest afternoon exercise in nonrunners was associated with a strong trend toward elevated heart rate during sleep. Mood tests and personality profiles revealed few differences, either between groups or within groups, as a function of exercise.
Based on data for 53 mammalian species reported in the literature, statistical analyses revealed that daily sleep quotas correlate positively with metabolic rate and negatively with maximum life span and brain weight. Sleep cycle length correlates positively with life span and brain weight and negatively with metabolic rate. Paradoxical sleep figures in these intercorrelations only by virtue of its positive correlation with slow wave sleep. The correlation between sleep time and metabolic rate suggests that sleep has the function of enforcing rest and limiting metabolic requirements, although some inconsistent findings are noted. Strong correlations of cycle length with brain weight and metabolic rate suggest that the significance of cycle length has not been sufficiently explored.Copyright © 1974 S. Karger AG, Basel
Presents an approach for the meta-analysis of data from pretest–posttest designs. With this approach, data from studies using different designs may be compared directly and studies without control groups do not need to be omitted. The approach is based on a standardized mean-change measure, computed for each sample within a study, and it involves analysis of the standardized mean changes and differences in the standardized mean changes. Analyses are illustrated using results of studies of the effectiveness of mental practice on motor-skill development (e.g., D. Feltz and D. M. Landers [see PA, Vol 71:325]). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)