Quality sleep and regular aerobic exercise are of great help to human health. In recent years, the high insulin resistance caused by lack of sleep (that is, the early stage of diabetes), it is recommended to exercise as a treatment method, which can effectively slow down diabetes and related metabolic diseases.
One in five middle-aged and elderly people are prone to “sleep apnea”. The soft tissues of their upper respiratory tract collapse after falling asleep, which can easily cause repeated awakenings during sleep and sympathetic nervous excitement. Six to seventy percent of people will suffer from insomnia, leading to daytime fatigue, which significantly reduces the patient’s ability and interest in exercise.
Studies have shown that regular aerobic exercise can indeed reduce sleep apnea, and relieve insomnia, daytime fatigue, high blood pressure, and hyperglycemia; in the long term, it can alleviate cardiovascular disease, stroke and insomnia-related physical and mental diseases. In clinical treatment, it is very important for patients with sleep apnea to break through the psychological and physical limitations and actively engage in aerobic exercise.
It is worth mentioning that although exercise can reduce breathing disorders, it is still not as effective as continuous use of positive pressure breathing aids. On the contrary, if the patient only wears an assistive device without joining regular aerobic exercise, although it can partially slow down metabolic diseases and reduce the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases, it is better to add regular exercise, which is more effective.
For patients with insomnia, long-term use of tranquilizers, although they can induce sleep, will reduce the period of deep sleep, and will not refresh the brain after waking up, and restore the autonomic nervous function. On the contrary, it may lead to rebound insomnia, depression and anxiety, cognitive impairment, and even Increase the risk of falling, cancer or other fatalities.
Research on the insomnia population has confirmed that aerobic exercise and resistance exercise (such as weightlifting) can effectively improve the quantity of sleep and relieve depression or cardiovascular disease. Long-term regular exercise is far more effective than sleeping pills. After chemotherapy or radiotherapy, cancer patients often cause severe insomnia. Regular exercise can reduce discomfort and improve sleep conditions. In particular, aerobic training for breast cancer patients can indeed effectively relieve stress and pain.
All living things have nearly 24 hours of day-night cycle performance, like “movement and stillness” or “sleeping and waking up” reactions. The human biological clock is a built-in circadian rhythm. The retina of our eyes senses the brightness and darkness of the surrounding environment and adjusts it. It not only affects the overall brain central operation, but also regulates the physiological mechanism through the autonomic nerves and hormone secretion.
Muscle, which accounts for 40% of human body weight, is the most important organ for the burning and metabolism of sugar and fat. Day and night and dynamic and static rhythms affect the secretion of insulin, and affect the production of carbohydrate, and fat metabolism for muscle contraction. Whether short-term or long-term sleep deprivation, or poor sleep quality such as sleep apnea, insulin resistance will rise, and blood sugar will rise, leading to muscle fiber damage, chronic systemic inflammation, and even shortened lifespan.
Therefore, from the perspective of holistic medical treatment, to correct sleep disorders and reduce their derived sequelae, including cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, physical and mental and immune system diseases, exercise therapy is an indispensable part of today’s standard treatment.
