Effects of exercise on sleep in children with overweight/ obesity: a randomized clinical trial

Abstract

Objective The objective of this study was to examine the chronic effects of a 20-week exercise training program on device-assessed sleep and sleep-disordered breathing; and to determine whether participating in a session of the exercise program had effects on device-assessed sleep the subsequent night in children with overweight/obesity.

Methods A randomized clinical trial was conducted from November 2014 to June 2016. A total of 109 children (age 8–11 years) with overweight/obesity were randomized into an exercise training or control group. The exercise program included aerobic and resistance training 3 to 5 days/week. The control group participants continued their usual lifestyle. Device-assessed sleep outcomes were measured using wrist-worn actigraphy at baseline, in the middle of the exercise program (10th week), and at postintervention for seven consecutive days (24 h/day), and sleep-disordered breathing was measured via the Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire.

Results The exercise training program had a statistically significant effect on wake after sleep onset time (−10.8 min/day, −0.5 SDs, p = 0.040). No other chronic or acute effects (i.e., the subsequent night of attending a session of the exercise training program) were observed on the remaining sleep outcomes.

Conclusions A 20-week exercise training program reduced wake after sleep onset time in children with overweight/obesity. Future randomized trials that include a sample of children with poor sleep health at baseline are needed to better appreciate the role of exercise in sleep health.