1) My research topic is to study the effects of different exercise types on sleep in people with insomnia.
2) There are several theories regarding the relationship between physical activity and sleep. The Body Restoration and Energy Conservation theory postulates that sleep allows the body to restore and repair damaged tissue. Exercise causes an increased need for sleep due to the increase in energy expenditure and tissue damage. So overall people should experience improved sleep if they exercise.
The Thermogenic theory builds on the fact that our bodies increase and decrease in temperature throughout the day while plateauing in the later afternoon hours. Exercise is known to increase body temperatures above normal levels; this increase should cause a reciprocal decrease in body temperature post workout. This steeper cool down caused by exercise should result in an increased sleep drive.
With regards to previous research, little is known about between the frequency of exercise and sleep. Also from previous studies, certain types of exercise appear to improve sleep while others do not. It is possible that the intensity of exercise is more important than the type of exercise.
3) This article gives me a better understanding of how it is that exercise directly influences sleep. Although after reading the article I have come across more questions related to my topic. There is much in the topic that I am interested in that hasn’t been studied yet. I wonder if the same principles of exercise that apply to normal sleep apply to the sleeping habits of insomniacs. The only method I can think of by which exercise could help insomniacs would be by decreasing anxiety levels, which would then reduce hyperarousal. Exercise has been proven to have psychological benefits such as reduced stress, anxiety, and depression.
No comments:
Post a Comment