Dados do Trabalho

Título

Does the practice of physical activity in the elderly preserve sleep quality

Introdução

Elder individuals commonly complain of sleep problems. Changing habits, as practice of physical activity, may improve sleep quality.

Objetivo

The present study aimed to evaluate the influence of physical activity on the sleep quality in elderly.

Métodos

34 elderly individuals, both genders, mean age of 70±6 years were prospectively assessed. Individuals who used sleep-inducing drugs were not included. Sleep quality was assessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (IQSP), with scores greater than or equal to 5 considered suggestive of poor sleep quality. The practice of physical activity was assessed by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). According to the IPAQ results, participants were divided into 2 groups: Irregularly active group (IA-G), consisting of 17 participants classified as sedentary (n = 2) and irregularly active (n = 15); and active group (A-G), consisting of 17 participants classified as regularly active. The results between groups were compared by the Fisher's test for qualitative variables and by Student's test or Mann-Whitney test for quantitative variables (p<0.05).

Resultados

It was observed that 65% of the IA-G participants and 88% of the A-G were female. Regarding to the IQSP, it was observed that the IA-G showed a significantly higher mean score than the A-G (8±4 and 5±3 points, respectively, p=0.004). Additionally, 82% of the IA-G participants had a score suggestive of poor sleep quality, compared to 59% of the A-G participants (p=0,274).

Conclusões

The results suggest that the practice of physical activity can help to preserve sleep quality in elderly individuals. Thus, it is suggested that new researches should be carried out in order to promote the awareness of the population about the benefit of physical activity.

Palavras-chave

Elderly; Physical Activity; Sleep Quality