Good Lifestyle

Can't you sleep? Join the growing club. Nearly 30 million Americans have acute or chronic insomnia, reports the American Medical Association (Ama). The paralyzing state can cause diurnal fatigue, poor sleep Quality, difficulty concentrating, mood changes, etc.

To help manage their symptoms, patients are often prescribed a CPAP machine (continuous positive pressure), but many find them being awkward, expensive and boring for maintenance. Fortunately, a new study published in the journal Medicine based on BMJ evidence noted that some specific and free - exercises can help reduce your insomnia. Let’s decompose what these activities are and to what extent they have been effective in curing sleep problems.

In relation: The nap in adulthood can increase your risk of mortality - if you sleep for so long

A large -scale study tested 13 different treatments for insomnia

The meta-analysis, published on July 15, analyzed 22 different studies involving 1,348 participants who underwent 13 different treatments for insomnia.

More than half of these treatments were linked to the exercise and lasted four to 26 weeks.

These understood:

• Yoga
• Tai Chi
• Walk
• Jogging
• Strength training
• Aerobic and force exercises
• A combination of aerobic exercises and therapy
• Mixed aerobic exercises

The other six interventions, which took place from six to 26 weeks, varied from acupuncture to lifestyle fixes.

These understood:

• Cognitivo-behavioral therapy (TCC)
• Sleep hygiene
• Ayurveda
• Acupuncture and massage
• Existing treatment (standard lifestyle changes)
• No treatment

In an analysis of comparison of the 13 treatments, the researchers marked the quality of the sleep of the participants, the severity of insomnia, total sleep time, sleep effectiveness, the frequency of mid-sleep awakenings and sleep latency (how long it took to fall asleep) to determine the most effective methods.

Overall, cognitive behavioral therapy has shown the most promises. The researchers pointed out a strong correlation between CBT and an increase in total sleep time as well as a decrease in sleeping from sleep to mid-sleep.

However, compared to active witnesses, four exercise treatments have been exceptionally useful against the symptoms of insomnia.

Walking, jogging, yoga and tai chi have proven to be better for the symptoms of insomnia

According to the results of the study, the conditions of insomnia have improved the most among participants who have embarked on walking, jogging, yoga , or tai chi.

The results showed:

• Yoga has increased the total sleep time by almost 111 minutes
• Yoga has improved sleep efficiency by around 15%, reduced the wake after starting sleep and shortened sleep latency
• The TAI-Chi increased the total sleep time by 52 minutes, reduces the wake after the start of sleep and shortened the sleep latency by 25 minutes
• Walk And jogging has led to better sleep scores
• For two years, the Tai Chi was linked to the best overall results on sleep health, compared to all treatments

This is not the first time that Tai Chi has received such high scores to improve the quality of sleep.

A research document Published in 2023 also revealed that TAI-Chi can improve the overall quality of sleep in patients with insomnia. The data has shown that it can "reduce sleep latency, improve sleep efficiency, [and] relieve sleep disorders and daytime dysfunction". In addition, there has been a reduction in hypnotic drugs (as sleeping pills ) as well as improvements in negative emotions associated with depression and anxiety.

As for this study, the authors of the study concluded: "Given the advantages of the exercise methods such as yoga, tai chi and walking or jogging - including low cost, minimum side effects and high accessibility - These interventions are well suited to integration into primary care and community health programs. »»

In relation: Training on foot n ° 1 to add years to your life, according to science

The point to take away

Sweet exercises, such as walking, jogging, yoga and tai chi, can improve insomnia Symptoms when practiced for at least four weeks.

These activities are low -maintenance and relatively inexpensive compared to other solutions that cost money or require equipment.

"The results of this study also underline the therapeutic potential of exercise interventions in the treatment of insomnia," wrote the authors of the study.

If you have trouble sleeping, tell your doctor to see if taking a new exercise program can help you.