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. 2022 Oct 22;19(21):13732.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph192113732.

Exercise Training Program Improves Subjective Sleep Quality and Physical Fitness in Severely Obese Bad Sleepers

Pedro Delgado-Floody  1   2   3 , Felipe Caamaño Navarrete  4 , Luis Chirosa-Ríos  2   3 , Cristian Martínez-Salazar  1 , Claudia Andrea Vargas  1 , Iris Paola Guzmán-Guzmán  5
Affiliations

Exercise Training Program Improves Subjective Sleep Quality and Physical Fitness in Severely Obese Bad Sleepers

Pedro Delgado-Floody et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Sleep quality is an important modulator of neuroendocrine function, as sleep problems are related to metabolic and endocrine alterations.

Objective: The main objective was to determine the effects of an exercise training program on the sleep quality of severely obese patients with sleep problems. The secondary objective was to determine the relationship between fitness and anthropometric parameters with sleep quality scores.

Methods: Thirty severely obese patients participated in 16 weeks of PA intervention (age: 39.30 ± 11.62 y, BMI: 42.75 ± 5.27 kg/m2). Subjective sleep quality, anthropometric parameters, and fitness (i.e., handgrip strength and cardiorespiratory fitness) were measured.

Results: Two groups were defined as good sleepers (n = 15, 38.06 ± 12.26, men = 1) and bad sleepers (n = 15, 40.53 ± 11.23, men = 3). The good sleeper group reported improvement in cardiorespiratory fitness (61.33 ± 68.75 m vs. 635.33 ± 98.91 m, p = 0.003) and handgrip strength (29.63 ± 9.29 kg vs. 31.86 ± 7.17 kg, p = 0.049). The bad sleeper group improved their cardiorespiratory fitness (472.66 ± 99.7 m vs. 611.33 ± 148.75 m, p = 0.001). In terms of sleep quality dimensions, the bad sleeper group improved their subjective sleep quality (p < 0.001), sleep latency (p = 0.045), sleep duration (p = 0.031), and habitual sleep efficiency (p = 0.015). Comparing the changes in both groups (∆), there were differences in subjective sleep quality scores (∆ = 2.23 vs. ∆ = -3.90, p = 0.002), where 86.6% of the bad sleeper group improved sleep quality (p = 0.030). An increase in handgrip strength was correlated to improving sleep quality scores (r = -0.49, p = 0.050).

Conclusions: Severely obese bad sleepers improved their subjective sleep quality, the components of sleep, and cardiorespiratory fitness through an exercise training program. Improvement in subjective sleep quality was linked to an increase in handgrip strength.

Keywords: exercise; morbid obesity; quality of life; sleep quality.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Changes in body mass index, physical fitness, and Sleep Quality Index; (∆) denotes delta changes from pre- to post-intervention. BMI = body mass index. p-value represents group × time interaction and McNemar test.
Figure 1
Figure 1
Changes in body mass index, physical fitness, and Sleep Quality Index; (∆) denotes delta changes from pre- to post-intervention. BMI = body mass index. p-value represents group × time interaction and McNemar test.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Correlation between the sleep quality score with anthropometric and fitness variables in post-intervention. BMI = body mass index; 6-MWT = six-minute walking test; HGS = handgrip strength; PSQI = Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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Publication types

Grants and funding

This research was funded by the University de La Frontera, Chile Project DI21-0030 and FRO 1895 project. The postdoctoral researcher P.D.-F. has a contract through the program “Recualificación del Profesorado Universitario. Modalidad María Zambrano”, Universidad de Granada/Ministerio de Universidades y Fondos Next Generation de la Unión Europea.