Resistance training improves sleep quality in older adults a pilot study

Abstract

Older individuals, as a group, tend to experience difficulty sleeping compared to younger adults. Improving sleep in the elderly would have beneficial public health consequences. This study utilized 8 sedentary, older adults, 78.1 ± 3.1 years of age, who participated in a six-month long resistance training (RT) program. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to examine sleep quality, and a 1 repetition max test (1-RM) was used to determine upper (bench press) and lower (leg press) body strength. Total strength, defined as the sum of the bench press and leg press 1-RM results, was also reported. The training resulted in significant improvements (p < 0.05) in total (19%) and upper body (52%) strength and in sleep quality (38%). Future studies should examine the effects of strength gain/loss and time-of-day training on sleep quality. Key PointsCompromised sleep and deterioration of skeletal muscle mass and function are commonly found among the aged.Results show that RT led to improvements in upper and total body strength in older participants who trained three times per week in the morning.The resistance training led to improvements in sleep as measured by a self-report sleep questionnaire, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index.The small sample size used, lack of control group, and the fact that the participants on average were characterized as "good "sleepers at the study onset, necessitates that further investigation occur.We suggest that further research is required to explore the effects of RT performed at different times of the day as well as to determine the relationship between sleep gains or losses upon changes in sleep quality.

Keywords: Chronic disease; older participants; resistance training; sleep; strength.

Figure 1.

The increase in total strength 1-RM at 3 and 6 months (top graph). Total strength 1-RM represents the contributions from upper body (bench press 1-RM) and lower body (leg press 1-RM). The asterisks at both time points indicate a significant difference (p < 0.05) relative to baseline. The increase in upper body strength 1-RM at 6 months (middle graph). Upper body strength was assessed using the bench press 1-RM. The asterisk indicates a significant difference (p < 0.05) relative to baseline. Lower body strength (bottom graph) was assessed using the leg press 1-RM.

Figure 2.

Sleep scores as measured by the PSQI at baseline, 3, and 6 months. There was a significant improvement in the global PSQI at 3 months relative to baseline (p < 0.05). The scores for the 6-month sleep assessment were not significantly different from baseline.