These conditions are not only prevalent but also have significant implications for public health. Chronic insomnia is characterized by difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or experiencing non-restorative sleep, despite having adequate opportunity and circumstances to sleep. It can lead to daytime fatigue, mood disturbances, and impaired cognitive function. Obstructive sleep apnea, on the other hand, is a disorder where breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep due to a blocked or narrowed airway. This can result in fragmented sleep, low blood oxygen levels, and increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.
It includes techniques such as stimulus control, sleep restriction, relaxation training, and cognitive restructuring. Exercise training, on the other hand, involves physical activity that can help regulate sleep patterns. The COMISA population, which stands for Community of Middle-Aged and Older Adults, often faces sleep disturbances due to various factors such as age-related changes, lifestyle, and health conditions.
The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, involved 100 participants with insomnia. They were divided into two groups: one group received cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) combined with exercise, while the other group received only CBT. The study found that the group that received CBT combined with exercise had a significantly greater reduction in insomnia scores compared to the group that received only CBT. The study’s findings suggest that incorporating exercise into cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) may enhance its effectiveness.
Targeting CBT Véronique Pepin, a professor in the Department of Health, Kinesiology and Applied Physiology, the interim dean of Concordia’s School of Health, and the paper’s corresponding author, says that despite the study’s relatively small sample size of only 19 individuals, “we as researchers picked up a strong signal that is consistent with the literature.” “It was also interesting to me as a kinesiologist because this study was designed by researchers in psychology, neurology, and kinesiology, and we were able to combine our respective interventions,” she adds. “We are seeing more and more examples of targeted cognitive behavioral therapy, so it’s exciting to see what can be accomplished if it is combined with other behavioral interventions, like exercise and nutrition.”
“We found that exercise can improve sleep quality in people with depression.” Exercise has long been recognized for its ability to enhance mood and influence various physiological systems, including the nervous system and systemic inflammation. These changes can indirectly impact sleep patterns, as they are intricately linked to our overall well-being.