Moderate to intense physical activity would help fight insomnia, contributing to better quality sleep, according to a new study.
- To sleep well, the doctors of the National Institute of Sleep and Vigilance advise in particular to maintain regular sunrise and sunset times, to be exposed to light in the morning to regulate the biological clock, to avoid exciting (coffee, alcohol, etc.) after 2 p.m., or not to dine too copiously.
- It is recommended to sleep at least seven hours a day. “A lack of sleep doubles the risk of developing a heart condition and multiplies by 4 that of having a stroke”, warns the Institute.
- A sleep debt becomes chronic when there is a reduction in sleep time over several days. Ultimately, it has the same effects as a sleepless night.
If we spend more than a third of our life sleeping, it’s not for nothing! From growth to the preservation of our cognitive abilities, through hormonal regulation, sleep is an essential element for maintaining good health. However, according to these latest data, the French have never slept so badly, nearly 7 out of 10 people say they have sleep disorders. The time spent sleeping is also insufficient, with less than 7 hours per night.
Reducing screen activities, especially in the evening, can help you fall asleep faster, but that’s not all! Moderate to intense physical activity would also make us fall into the arms of Morpheus more easily, according to a new study by Japanese, Canadian and Taiwanese researchers.
60 min of moderate or intense physical activity to improve sleep
To conduct their research, the scientists for the first time used an iso-temporal substitution approach. This consists of estimating the effect of replacing one type of activity with another for the same duration.
“We replaced 60 minutes of sedentary behavior or light-intensity physical activity with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in participants’ schedules”, explains the one who led the study, Dr. Javad Koohsari, associate professor of the School of Knowledge Science of the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST), and adjunct researcher at the Faculty of Sports Science at the university. Waseda.
According to the publication in the review Scientific Report683 adults (417 women, 263 men), aged 40 to 64 and living in Japan participated in this experiment.
Fewer sleep disorders for women thanks to sport
Each participant’s level of physical activity was monitored by an accelerometer for seven days in a row. The quality of sleep was monitored using a questionnaire completed by the volunteers. This is defined as “an individual’s self-satisfaction with all aspects of the sleep experience”, recall the authors. Thereby, “a sleep disorder can be defined as a disturbance in the quality and duration of sleep”.
“Our study found that replacing 60 minutes of SB (sedentary behavior) or LPA (low-intensity physical activity) with the same amount of MVPA (moderate-to-vigorous physical activity) was positively associated with rest as a measure of sleep in womensay the researchers. Future studies are needed to identify distinct associations of vigorous physical activity and moderate physical activity with sleep quality.”
When is the best time to exercise during the day?
“Physical activities can be done throughout the day”, explains Dr Caroline Pombourcq. “But for intense physical activities carried out in the evening, it is best to plan them at least one to two hours before bedtime because this can prevent sleep.” Intense physical activities include brisk walking (i.e. more than 6.5 km/h or with gradients), rapid climbing of stairs, collective ball games, tennis, sports fighting, jogging, moving or even digging the garden. “Intense physical activity accelerates breathing and causes shortness of breath“, says the doctor. Moderate physical activity only slightly accelerates breathing, causing shortness of breath that remains weak. “Conversation is possible and heartbeats are slightly accelerated.” The specialist gives examples of brisk walking (5 to 6 km/hour), leisure cycling (15 km/hour), fun swimming, badminton, sailing, window washing or car cleaning, light gardening or vacuuming.