Many people struggle to sleep. This can eat away at both well-being and health. And there is no shortage of good advice: take a warm bath before going to bed, put down the phone before bed, or how about some warm milk with honey? But now researchers at NTNU in Trondheim have an even better tip for you. And this is something most of us can master. They have looked at what our physical form does to the quality of our sleep. The results show, among other things, that good fitness is associated with better sleep, as well as less frequent withdrawal of prescription sleeping pills. – For people who generally do little physical activity, our findings suggest that increased fitness can help, says Linda Ernstsen to news. She is an associate professor at NTNU in Trondheim. 17 per cent received sleeping aids The researchers have analyzed data from approximately 34,000 Norwegians. These come from the large Health Survey in Trøndelag (HUNT). Since 1984, almost 250,000 people have taken part. The HUNT survey gives researchers a unique opportunity to monitor the health of people over several years. And in this study, the data has been linked with information from the national prescription register. It will be the first time such a connection is made in a research context. The participants in the current study were followed from 2008–2018. – About 5,800 of these had their first withdrawal of prescription sleeping aids during the study period, says Linda Ernstsen. This means that approximately 17 percent were assessed as needing help to sleep. But one group stood out positively. Do this race-loving bunch sleep better than others? It can be, we are to believe the results of the new study. Photo: Colourbox Different for men and women The participants who were in the best condition bought less prescription drugs. – The connection we found was statistically significant, which means that we can assume that it is not due to chance, says Ernstsen. According to the researcher, the strength of the connection was also different based on how well trained the participants were. – From being relatively inactive to following the recommendations for weekly physical activity, you can reduce the risk of using prescription sleeping pills by 8-15 per cent. But the effect seems to have different results for men and women. Researcher Linda Ernstsen has led the new study. She has also had medics and sleep experts with her. Photo: Communication only An explanation? According to the study, men with good fitness had a 15 per cent lower risk of needing sleeping aids, while the risk among the best-trained women was only 5 per cent. – Why do you think such differences are found? – It is hard to say. But what we do know is that women generally have an increased incidence of mental health problems compared to men. They see the doctor more often. We also know that prescription drugs for sleep are used in combination with other types of medical treatment. This may explain why more women in good shape take out more prescriptions, says Ernstsen. The researchers are clear that we are all different and complex. Experiences and events are not necessarily captured by a questionnaire or in registers. – There is rarely just one cause, and thus only one solution. Good fitness alone is therefore not the key to avoiding troublesome sleep problems. But it doesn’t hurt either. – One of several pieces of advice we give Ståle Pallesen is a sleep expert. He is a professor at the University of Bergen. He says that previous research also shows that physical exercise can have a good effect on people who struggle to sleep. But that this alone is not enough. – It is one of several pieces of advice we give people who are struggling. But we have never believed that it alone has been a sufficient intervention. This is one of five components we use when we treat people with, for example, insomnia. The sleep expert believes the study has certain limitations. – We don’t know if everyone who takes out the sleeping pills actually uses them. And we don’t really know what specific sleep problem these participants have either. And it is not certain that physical exercise has the same effect on all sleep problems, he says to news. Pallesen still believes that the topic is interesting and that the mechanisms behind this could have been investigated even more carefully. Sleep expert and professor Ståle Pallesen believes there may be a connection between good fitness and better sleep. But he calls for more research. Photo: Private
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People with good fitness often sleep better, and use drugs less often to fall asleep – news Trøndelag
