Lying in your bed, you contemplate the ceiling, waiting to fall into the arms of Morpheus. However, nothing happens. Whether it’s listening to ASMR, brown noises or even experimenting with brain tapping, you always stay awake. If you think there are no solutions, think again. Icelandic researchers believe that a good habit in particular would help you fall asleep.
Indeed, researchers from the University of Reykjavik, Iceland, practicing physical activity 2 to 3 times a week could reduce insomnia. Their results are published in the review BMJ Open.
Sleep disorders: 2 to 3 hours of physical activity per week would reduce insomnia
To arrive at these results, the researchers based themselves on data from the European Community Lung Health Survey which brought together data from 4,399 participants, whose average age was 21 years. The latter had to answer questionnaires to provide information on the frequency of physical activity, duration of sleep, daytime sleepiness and symptoms of insomnia. This monitoring was spread over a period of 10 years. Those who did at least one hour of sport per week were considered active. Those who did less than an hour of sport per week were in the “inactive” group.
Of the respondents, 37% were persistently inactive and 20% became inactive during follow-up. Conversely, 25% were active and 18% were active over time. After adjusting the results based on different factors like BMI, history or smoking, the researchers noticed that participants who were constantly active were 42% less likely to report difficulty falling asleep, 22% less likely to experience symptoms of insomnia and 40% less likely to report 2 or 3 (37% less likely) symptoms of insomnia.
Physical activity: how to integrate it into your daily life?
This is not the first time that researchers have explored the link between physical activity and sleep quality. In a study published at the beginning of March, researchers from the University of South Australia noted that people who did the least physical activity in a day had poorer sleep quality. To add physical activity to your daily life and stay motivated, Amina Zidani, athlete of the French FF BOXE team, six-time French boxing champion, and qualified for the Paris Olympic Games, advised Current wife of :
- put pleasure first,
- start crescendo,
- drink enough water,
- stretch well after a session.
As a reminder, the WHO recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity, or 75 minutes of sustained intensity per week.
Sources:
- Association between physical activity over a 10-year period and current insomnia symptoms, sleep duration and daytime sleepiness: a European population-based study – BMJ Open
- Consistently exercising 2-3 times a week over the long term linked to lower current insomnia risk – (press release)
- WHO – Physical activity