A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of Interval Training and Sleep Hygiene for Improving Sleep in Older Adults

The primary objective of this pilot randomized controlled trial was to study the feasibility (recruitment and retention rates) for interval training and sleep hygiene (SH) in adults aged above 60 years. Thirteen out of 46 screened individuals from a home for older adults in Shirdi (Maharashtra, India) were randomly assigned by permuted block randomization to either an interval training with SH group (n = 6) or an SH alone group (n = 7). The authors measured sleep with the S+ sleep monitor manufactured by ResMed (USA) Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and quality of life with Short Form-12 health survey version 2. Interval training consisted of 8 weeks of stationary cycling, whereas SH consisted of lecture and handouts. Recruitment was 38.2%, retention was >80% for both the interventions, and there was one loss to follow-up in SH. Interval training and SH were feasible for older adults and supported a full-scale randomized controlled trial.