Sleep complaints are so common that the first question often asked over breakfast is, “How did you sleep last night?” An article by Ohayon and Roth on insomnia in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research in 2001 noted that about l0% of the population experience insomnia nightly and 30% of us complain of insomnia a few nights every month. That is an astonishingly large number and probably explains the billions of dollars spent on sleep aids each year (and early morning television viewing). The effects of poor sleep are obvious to anyone of us who has tossed and turned the previous night. Most of us view the subsequent daytime sleepiness as just an annoyance but it has been attributed to motor vehicle accidents and environmental disasters such as the Exxon Valdez ship accident in Alaska. And many recent studies have associated poor sleep to a significant decline in our ability to perform simply mental tasks. Even obesity has been linked to insufficient sleep, as daytime fatigue often leads to overeating. Some of the reasons for not sleeping well are obvious: a nursing baby, hot flushes, too much caffeine or alcohol, stress, a snoring spouse (or dog), a coach seat in an overseas flight, jet lag. There are also many medical reasons for insomnia and they require diagnosis and treatment by specialists in sleep problems. Aging may lead to fragmented sleep as the sleep hormone, melatonin, decreases as we grow older. Many sleep aids contain melatonin but most of them contain abnormally large amounts. The correct dose is 0.3 to 0.5 mg; larger doses will cause daytime grogginess and a possible decline in natural melatonin production. There is a very simple sleep aid that doesn’t require a prescription, an over-the- counter medication or an expensive mattress. It is called exercise. Have you ever seen how quickly a young child falls asleep after a day of playing on the beach or even in the backyard? Have you ever fallen into bed and into immediate sleep after a day of strenuous yard work, moving into a new house or many miles of hiking or bike riding? “I slept like a log” if an often repeated phrase when describing sleep following such prolonged exercise. (Although I have never figured out why logs should be the models for a good night’s sleep.) But it is not necessary to engage in heroic feats of activity to sleep well. Just a small amount of consistent exercise will do. Before you go to your local drugstore to scan the shelves for sleep aids consider this:1. A l985 survey of Finns reported that at least 30% claimed exercise as the most important factor in getting them to go to sleep. Almost half who increased their exercise reported that their sleep had improved and those who became more sedentary said their sleep had worsened.2. Ten years later, in the States, another study found that aerobic exercise was better than just stretching in promoting slow wave or deep sleep among healthy elderly adults. 3. Fifty to 74 year-old adults were asked to exercise four days a week doing aerobic group exercises, strenuous walking or riding a stationary bike. The study, carried out at Stanford University Medical School found that after several weeks, the group improved all aspects of their sleep quality. What is the connection between exercise and sleep? The exact mechanisms are not yet fully understood. Perhaps a more relevant question would be to find out how lack of physical activity is connected to disruptive sleep. Daily physical activity was a way of life until the past l00 years or less in our history. It wasn’t necessary to hop on a treadmill to walk or lift weights to develop upper body strength. Getting from point A to point B usually necessitated walking and the absence of labor-saving devices produced muscles on everyone. Did people sleep better? Apart from medical conditions causing sleep disturbances, presumably people did. Exercise is certainly has fewer side effects than sleep aids which can lead to day time confusion, falls, drowsiness, and disrupted sleep cycles. Exercise won’t increase melatonin production, decrease hot flushes or stop the snoring of a bed companion. But if you are physically tired every night from your daily exercise routine, you might be able to fall asleep more quickly than the one who snores and sleep soundly enough to filter out noises that otherwise might awaken you. According to the researchers at Stanford, the improvement in sleep with exercise won’t come (if you forgive the expression) overnight. It is necessary to be persistent. But the rewards will be the daily benefit of a good night’s sleep. And that, as one of the credit card company ads put it, “is priceless.”;
