Sleep And Fitness: Lack Of Adequate Rest Shows Declining Exercise

Researchers at the University of Georgia have discovered a link between physical activity and the ability to get a good night's rest. Declining physical fitness could actually be linked to the inability sleep.

"This kind of study is novel," said Rodney Dishman, a professor of kinesiology in the College of Education at the University, in a news release. "In the past, studies mostly used self-report as a means of researching physical activity or measured fitness just once. However, this study closely examines the fitness changes in men and women over a long period of time using an objective measure of cardiorespiratory fitness."

For the study, Dishman examined data spanning 35 years that was collected by the Aerobics Centers Longitudinal Study. It tracked more than 8,000 participants between 1971 and 2006, aged 20 to 85. The researchers measured the participants' cardiorespiratory fitness via a treadmill every two years, on average, and a total of four sessions done at the Cooper Clinic located in Dallas, Tex.

Though none of the participants reported sleeping problems at the start of the study, over time, they began to have cardiorespiratory issues. Furthermore, during the second and third clinical session, some had the same level of physical fitness displayed during the first session. However, many participants' treadmill endurance had declined during the subsequent session. Daily check-ups also showed that many had decreased in their endurance levels.

"Fitness is much harder to sustain if you don't exercise consistently. Staying active won't cure sleep complaints, but it will reduce the odds of them. The more active you stay, the better off you'll be " Dishman added, via Medical Xpress. "Our findings give an incentive for adults to maintain fitness and continue exercising."

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercises.