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Publication Date

9-1-2009

Abstract

When it comes to improving overall health, few activities are cited as frequently as exercising regularly and getting enough sleep. These activities are not only important in their own right, but now appear to be connected. Research in recent years has uncovered exercise’s ability to help people fall asleep faster and stay in deeper stages of sleep longer, revealing that a better night’s sleep could be attainable without the prescription sleep aids that some people need. Specific exercise regimens may be the answer for those who have trouble sleeping. Jean Davis, Ph.D., associate professor and assistant dean for adult health in WSU’s College of Nursing, and Hermann-Josef Engels, Ph.D., professor of exercise physiology in WSU’s College of Education have been working to find a solution to getting a better night’s sleep. Funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research, their interdisciplinary team conducted a study to determine whether a personalized exercise program could serve as a non-pharmacological treatment for sleep problems. They focused specifically on post-menopausal women, a group for which disrupted sleep – difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, or both – is one of the most common complaints.

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