A new analysis of past research suggests that certain types of exercise — including yoga, Tai Chi, walking, and jogging — may be especially helpful in improving sleep quality and easing insomnia.
The study, led by researchers and published in BMJ Evidence Based Medicine, supports using exercise as a main treatment for people who have trouble sleeping.
Insomnia, which includes trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking too early, affects between 4% and 22% of people. It’s linked to serious health problems like heart disease and dementia. While medications can help with sleep, they often come with side effects.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is also effective, but many people can’t access it due to a shortage of trained professionals.
More studies have recently shown that exercise may help with insomnia. But until now, there was little evidence about which types of exercise work best. To answer that question, researchers reviewed 22 clinical trials involving 1,348 people.
These trials compared 13 different approaches to treating insomnia. Seven of these were exercise-based: yoga, Tai Chi, walking or jogging, strength training, aerobic and strength combined, mixed aerobic workouts, and aerobic exercise with therapy.
Other treatments included CBT, sleep hygiene, acupuncture, massage, Ayurveda, and regular medical care. The programs lasted from 4 to 26 weeks, depending on the study.
To measure the impact on sleep, the researchers used several scoring systems, including the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). They also looked at how long participants slept, how much time they spent awake after falling asleep, how efficient their sleep was, and how long it took them to fall asleep.
Not surprisingly, CBT was one of the most effective methods. It improved total sleep time, reduced how long people lay awake, and helped them fall asleep faster. These benefits also lasted over time.
However, some forms of exercise were also very effective. For example, yoga helped people sleep nearly two hours longer each night and improved their sleep efficiency by 15%. It also reduced the time spent awake after falling asleep by about an hour and shortened how long it took to fall asleep by about 30 minutes.
Tai Chi was especially impressive. It improved both subjective and objective measures of sleep and was shown to work better than other treatments for up to two years. People who practiced Tai Chi slept nearly an hour longer, had better sleep quality, and spent less time awake after falling asleep.
Walking or jogging also showed strong results. It significantly reduced insomnia severity and helped people sleep better by increasing melatonin levels, improving emotional regulation, and boosting the amount of deep sleep.
The researchers say that these exercises may work by calming the nervous system, reducing anxiety, and improving emotional health. Yoga and Tai Chi also involve controlled breathing and mindfulness, which may help relax the body and mind.
Although some of the included studies had design flaws or small sample sizes, the overall evidence strongly supports exercise as a treatment for insomnia. The authors suggest that these low-cost, accessible exercises could be included in primary care and public health programs.
They also note that different exercises might be better for easing different symptoms of insomnia. More research could help match the right activity with the right sleep problem.
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The study is published in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine.
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