Yoga, tai-chi, walks … If you suffer from insomnia, here are the 3 activities to favor according to scientists

SOMMENT – When you suffer from difficulties in falling asleep or insomnia, you can sometimes feel helpless. How to permanently improve your sleep without necessarily going through the drug option? A new study, published in mid-July in the British Medical Journalmay have found the solution: practice a gentle physical activity.

Currently, there is no official recommendation on the impact of physical activity on the quality of sleep, and even less indication of the really effective exercises to sleep better.

Based on this observation, the authors of the study therefore screened 22 randomized clinical trials in order to help patients choose the most appropriate exercise to manage their insomnia. Their meta analysis finally has 1,348 participants and 13 therapeutic approaches as varied as yoga, tai chi, walking, running or bodybuilding, all evaluated over a period of 4 to 26 weeks.

Other approaches not based on physical exercise have also been analyzed: cognitive behavioral therapy (TCC), which has already proven itself to treat insomnia, but also Ayurveda, acupuncture and massage.

Less anxiety and more restful sleep

Unsurprisingly, among all these treatments, CBT has proven to be the most likely to lead to an increase in the total duration of sleep. But this brief therapy practiced by psychiatrists and psychologists specially trained to target the thoughts, emotions and behaviors of the patient, is not always easily accessible.

The researchers have noted that, among the physical activities analyzed, some also seemed to bear fruit to improve sleep.

Among them, yoga, which resulted in an increase in the total duration of sleep of almost 2 hours and improved sleep efficiency by almost 15 %. How to explain it? “By emphasizing body consciousness, controlled breathing and attention training, yoga could change brain activity, attenuating anxiety and depressive symptoms that often interfere with restorative sleep”suggest the authors in a press release.

Because it also emphasizes breathing control and physical relaxation, TAI-Chi is the other activity to favor when you want to sleep better, say the authors of the study. Its practice makes it possible to reduce the activity of the sympathetic nervous system, which reduces hypereveil. “In addition, the combination of meditative and mindfulness movements could promote emotional regulation, deactivate the” mental chatter “and reduce anxiety”write scientists.

Finally, and against all odds, walking and running are also excellent options to improve the quality of sleep. According to the authors of the work, these two activities – which it is still better to avoid just before putting themselves in bed – reduce the severity of insomnia by 10 points because they increase energy expenditure, reduce the production of cortisol while stimulating the secretion of melatonin, the sleep hormone, and finally increase the amount of deep sleep.

A real therapeutic option

For scientists, there is no doubt that these physical activities have real potential to treat insomnia. They even believe that, given their low cost, accessibility and minimal side effects, they could not be “Simple additional support” but well “Become a viable primary therapeutic option”.

“Although current clinical guidelines only mention physical exercise, this study provides relatively complete comparative evidence that could shed light on the development of more specific and easier to implement clinical recommendations”they continue.

Only downside noted: design and methodology defects noted in 15 of the tests included in the meta analysis. “There were no standardized and quantifiable measures of the frequency or intensity of physical interventions, and the sample of certain studies was small”note the authors. Not enough, however, according to them, questioning the benefits of activities on sleep.