Chinese scientists have shown that The most effective exercise to improve sleep quality is intensive yoga performed twice a week. The results of their research show that this form of exercise brings the most significant improvement of sleep problems. Researchers from Harbinská Sports University They analyzed data from 30 clinical trials involving 2576 participants in all ages.
They compared the effects of various types of exercise, including yoga, walking, strength training and traditional Chinese practices such as qi-kung and Tai. “The results of network meta -analysis show that the optimal combination is yoga twice a week, lasting about thirty minutes, over eight to ten weeks and with high intensity,” The authors of the study were introduced. The second place was walking, followed by strength training.
The benefits of all these activities were evident within 8 to ten weeks. The authors of the study do not explain why yoga has the best effect on sleep. However, previous research suggests that In addition to increasing heart rate, yoga can also activate the parasympathetic nervous system that controls rest and digestion.
The authors also pointed out that additional review studies with a wider data set are needed. “In the interpretation of the results of sleep disorders studies, caution is needed due to the limited number of studies included and the specific characteristics of the population,” they wrote.
