Physical activity improves sleep quality in women

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of the study was to check whether women with a higher level of physical activity are less likely to experience sleep problems. Material and methods: 80 women aged 45–65 from Silesia took part in the pilot study. The research tool was a self-survey, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS),and the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS). The data was prepared in the STATISTICA 10 program. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 51.75 ± 5.57. The most common symptoms were psychological problems (mean MRS: 4.29 ± 3.25). A sedentary lifestyle was reported in 57.14% of the respondents. There was a significant difference between women suffering from insomnia and women with normal sleep in terms of the level of physical activity (p = 0.025). Conclusions: Physical activity significantly affects the quality of sleep among middle-aged women.