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An Investigation on the Effect of Exercise on Insomnia Symptoms
Haleh Dadgostar1, Afsaneh Basharkhah1, Mir Farhad Ghalehbandi2
1Department of Sports Medicine, Hazrat Rasool-e-Akram Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Background:
Insomnia affects the daily activities of the sufferers and reduces attention and memory. Cognitive behavioral therapy is an expensive treatment and is not applicable to all patients, and long-term treatment with sleep medication can have side effects such as drug dependency. As an alternative form of non-pharmacological treatments, the effect of exercise therapy on improving the symptoms of insomnia is addressed in the current study.
Methods:
A total of 32 patients diagnosed with insomnia participated in the study, from which 16 received combined resistance-aerobic exercise therapy. The rest of the patients comprised the control group. The intervention group went through a 12-week intervention in the form of aerobic exercise for 3 days a week and resistance training for another 3 days a week. Patients' sleep quality was assessed by the Pittsburgh test before and after the intervention.
Results:
The results showed that combined aerobic-resistance exercise can improve sleep quality in patients with insomnia as well as increase subjective sleep quality and actual sleep duration, and decrease daytime dysfunction due to sleeping problems.
Conclusions:
This study shows that, along with other insomnia treatments, exercise can improve the sleep quality of patients.
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Cause and Effect
Exercise Stress Test
Exercise stress testing, commonly known as a treadmill test, is a noninvasive procedure used to evaluate cardiovascular function and diagnose heart conditions.
Definition
An exercise stress test measures the heart's response to exertion using a treadmill or stationary bicycle. Chest electrodes record the heart's electrical activity through an ECG, and blood pressure is monitored regularly.
Purposes

