Original Article

Understanding the Relationship between Sleep Quality and Physical Activity: Implications for Healthy Aging

Abstract

Background: Understanding the general health and well-being of the aged population requires an understanding of several factors, among which the interplay between physical activity and sleep quality are the most efficient determinants. There is still much to learn about the precise ways that different components of sleep quality affect different kinds of physical activity in older persons, accordingly, the study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the interaction between these variables.
Methods: An online questionnaire-based investigation was conducted between August and September 2023. This cross-sectional study analyzed data from 1,437 participants aged 50 to 89 years. The questionnaire evaluated levels of physical activity, sleep satisfaction, and demographic data. We used cluster analysis, regression analysis, and factor analysis to investigate the connections between these variables.
Results: Factor analysis revealed a single factor that accounted for 51.95% of the variance in all variables linked to sleep, and this factor represented overall quality of sleep. Regression analysis revealed that gender significantly predicted sleep quality, with females reporting lower sleep satisfaction. While strenuous exercise did not significantly affect sleep quality, moderate exercise was a positive predictor of sleep quality that neared statistical significance. Furthermore, cluster analysis revealed that those who engaged in more physical activity had higher-quality sleep.
Conclusion: These results highlight the significance of encouraging physical activity to improve older adults' sleep quality. Specific programs that promote moderate exercise may enhance this population's general health and sleep quality. Future research should focus on longitudinal studies to create causality and modify intervention strategies aimed at promoting healthy aging.

1. Vaingankar JA, Müller-Riemenschneider F, Chu AH, et al (2020). Sleep duration, sleep quality and physical activity, but not sedentary behavior, are associated with positive mental health in a multi-ethnic Asian population: A cross-sectional evaluation. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 17(22):8489.
2. Liu Y, Wheaton AG, Croft JB, et al (2018). Relationship between sleep duration and self-reported health-related quality of life among US adults with or without major chronic diseases, 2014. Sleep Health, 4(31), 265–272.
3. Park S, Cho MJ, Chang SM, et al (2010). Re-lationships of sleep duration with soci-odemographic and health‐related fac-tors, psychiatric disorders and sleep dis-turbances in a community sample of Korean adults. J Sleep Res, 19(4):567-77.
4. Park S (2014). Associations of physical ac-tivity with sleep satisfaction, perceived stress, and problematic Internet use in Korean adolescents. BMC Public Health, 14:1143.
5. Kirkcaldy BD, Shephard RJ, Siefen RG (2002). The relationship between physi-cal activity and self-image and problem behaviour among adolescents. Soc Psy-chiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol, 37(11):544-50.
6. Heidarzadeh E, Rezaei M, Haghi MR, Shabanian H, Lee Y (2021). Assessing the impact of outdoor activities on mental wellbeing; focusing on the walking path in urban area. Iran J Public Health, 50(10):2132-38.
7. Yi ES, Rezaei M, Byun H, Jeon S (2024). Factors Shaping Exercise Patterns and Health Status among the Elderly in Ag-ing Nations: A South Korean Perspec-tive. Iran J Public Health, 8;53(4):895-903.
8. Jin Y, Jones-Smith JC (2020). Associations between family structure changes and children’s physical activity: the mediat-ing role of family income. BMC Public Health, 20, 1746.
9. Bei B, Wiley JF, Trinder J, Manber R (2016). Beyond the mean: a systematic review on the correlates of daily intra-individual variability of sleep/wake pat-terns. Sleep Med Rev, 28, 108-124.
10. Kline CE, Sui X, Hall MH, et al (2018). Dose-response effects of exercise train-ing on the subjective sleep quality of postmenopausal women: exploratory analyses of a randomized controlled trial. BMJ Open, 2(4), e000343.
11. Banno M, Harada Y, Taniguchi M, et al (2018). Exercise can improve sleep quali-ty: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Peer J, 6:e5172.
12. Hirshkowitz M, Whiton K, Albert SM, et al (2015). National Sleep Foundation’s sleep time duration recommendations: methodology and results summary. Sleep Health,1;1(1):40-3.
13. Silva VP, Silva MP, Silva VL, et al (2022). Ef-fect of physical exercise on sleep quality in elderly adults: a systematic review with a meta-analysis of controlled and randomized studies. J Ageing Longev, 2(2):85-97.
14. Sadaqa M, Németh Z, Makai A, Prémusz V, Hock M (2023). Effectiveness of exercise interventions on fall prevention in am-bulatory community-dwelling older adults: a systematic review with narrative synthesis. Front Public Health, 11:1209319.
15. Wu D, Qu C, Huang P, et al (2024). Better Life’s Essential 8 contributes to slowing the biological aging process: a cross-sectional study based on NHANES 2007–2010 data. Front Public Health, 12:1295477.
16. Vanderlinden J, Boen F, Van Uffelen JG (2020). Effects of physical activity pro-grams on sleep outcomes in older adults: a systematic review. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act, 17(1):11.
17. Alnawwar MA, Alraddadi MI, Algethmi RA, Salem GA, Salem MA, Alharbi AA (2023). The effect of physical activity on sleep quality and sleep disorder: a sys-tematic review. Cureus,15(8):e43595.
Files
IssueVol 53 No 11 (2024) QRcode
SectionOriginal Article(s)
Keywords
Sleep quality Physical activity Elderly population Health promotion Healthy aging
Rights and permissions
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
1.
Byun H, Hwang S, Yi E, Rokni L. Understanding the Relationship between Sleep Quality and Physical Activity: Implications for Healthy Aging. Iran J Public Health. 2024;53(11):2491-2499.