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Exercising twice a week can lower your risk of midlife insomnia
Regular exercise helps people maintain six to nine hours of sleep a night, study shows
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Exercising twice a week is linked to a lower risk of midlife insomnia, a study has found.
Those who regularly exercise are 42 per cent less likely to have difficulty falling asleep than those who are inactive.
Frequently active individuals are also 22 per cent less likely to report any symptoms of insomnia.
Research published in the journal BMJ Open found that people who kept exercising in the long term were 55 per cent more likely to be normal sleepers, meaning they get six to nine hours a night.
They were also a third less likely (29 per cent) to be classed as short sleepers, who achieve less than six hours a night, and more than half (52 per cent) were less likely to sleep for a very long time, meaning more than nine hours.
Participants who had not previously exercised but took it up during the study were found to be 21 per cent more likely to be normal sleepers, compared with the persistently inactive.
Extreme sleep durations
The study analysed data from 4,339 people across nine European countries across a decade.
The data showed that “physically active people have a lower risk of some insomnia symptoms and extreme sleep durations, both long and short”.
However the researchers, from Imperial College London and Reykjavik University in Iceland, warned that the benefits could be lost if people stopped exercising.
People in Norway were found to be the most persistently active while those in Spain and Estonia were most likely to be continually inactive.
People who exercised the most were likely to be younger men who tended to weigh less than other participants. Active participants were also less likely to be current smokers and more likely to be employed.
‘Feeling better and more productive’
Huw Edwards, the chief executive of UKactive, the trade body for the physical activity sector, said: “Physical activity has a huge role to play in our physical and mental health, with benefits such as better sleep, reduced stress and anxiety, and improved productivity, social connection and wellbeing.
“This study shows the essential role that physical activity can play in lowering the risk of insomnia, and we know that a good night’s sleep helps us to feel better and be more productive the following day.”
For the study, participants were questioned about their levels of exercise at the beginning and end of the study. Scientists asked them about insomnia symptoms they may have experienced and how long they slept for on average.
People who exercised two or more times a week, for at least one hour a week, were classed as physically active. If they were still exercising at this level a decade later, they were classed as persistently active (25 per cent of people), while 37 per cent of people were categorised as persistently inactive.
‘Most active nation in Europe’
During the study, 18 per cent of participants became active while 20 per cent became inactive.
Mr Edwards added: “Our own research shows that one of the main motivations for exercising in the UK today is to help people sleep better, so it is essential that everyone feels supported to be physically active in their daily lives.
“We want to make the UK the most active nation in Europe, which would bring savings of up to £1bn a year in healthcare spending linked to physical inactivity, and an additional £3.6bn in GDP through increased productivity.”