Exercise Found to Alleviate Insomnia in Older Adults

Older adults who have trouble sleeping can overcome the problem by exercising, according to Stanford University School of Medicine scientists. Epidemiologist Abby C. King and her colleagues studied 29 women and 14 men, aged 50 to 76, who were sedentary, free of cardiovascular disease and who said they had trouble sleeping. The group underwent 30 to 40 minutes of low-impact aerobics or brisk walking four times a week for 16 weeks.

The team reported in the Jan. 1 Journal of the American Medical Association that those who exercised slept almost an hour longer each night and fell asleep in half the time it normally took.