Medical Discovery News
By Norbert Herzog and David Niesel






Common causes of insomnia include stress, emotional issues, physical discomfort, medications, disruptions in a person’s schedule and environmental disturbances like light, noise and temperature.

Many suffering from insomnia rely on medications, such as sleeping pills and sedatives, the most common being over-the-counter antihistamines.


Evidence shows the best ways to prevent insomnia are to maintain a regular schedule, avoid caffeine for the eight hours before bed and especially get some exercise.


This experiment involved a group of women diagnosed with insomnia, divided into two groups — an exercise group and an inactive group. The exercise group performed 30 minutes of moderate exercise several times a week for 16 weeks while the other group was inactive.

The results were encouraging, since those in the active group slept 45 to 60 minutes longer each night, woke less frequently and felt more energized during the day.

The surprise came when the scientists took a detailed look at the diaries the women kept of their exercise and sleep. The effect of exercise seemed to take longer than expected — a full four months. Also, most did not report sleeping better on the nights after they exercised; however, a good night’s sleep helped them exercise better the next day.



Further research will be able to answer remaining questions about the timing or intensity of exercise, the effect of different types of exercise and whether this is the case in men as well.
