Regular exercise reduces insomnia symptoms

Research says that maintaining consistency in physical activity also helps you get the recommended amount of sleep of six to nine hours a day.

“This may be an important factor in optimizing sleep duration and reducing insomnia symptoms,” concluded the research team, led by Irish psychologists Erla Bjornsdottir and Elin Helga Thorarinsdottir.

In research conducted over more than a decade, experts followed the exercise habits and sleep quality of nearly 4,400 middle-aged adults from 21 hospitals in nine European countries.

They found that people who exercised at least twice a week, for about 30 minutes at a time, were 42 percent less likely to have trouble sleeping.

Additionally, they are 22 percent less likely to suffer from any symptoms of insomnia and 40 percent less likely to suffer from more than one symptom, such as taking a long time to fall asleep, waking up at night, and feeling overly sleepy.

Experts said these results agree with other studies that have linked regular exercise to deeper sleep.

He said that people who exercise not only tire their bodies enough to get good sleep, but they are also more likely to lead a healthy lifestyle.

LAM/LPN