When you're feeling exhausted through your day, the last thing most people want to think about is exercising. However, even a bit of exercise can go a long way.
Whether you have sleep apnea or not, a moderate exercise routine can give deeper sleep. Your body needs time to replenish its levels and will buckle down to help you sleep through the night.
For those with sleep apnea, the severity of the apnea can go down with regular exercise. This isn't to say that it can replace a CPAP of course, but it can greatly improve the condition along with medical treatment. Like a free treatment, making a point to take a walk each day can greatly help!
While obesity and heart problems are common symptoms of sleep apnea, weight loss is not necessary to see the effects of improved sleep due to exercise.
Taking care to eat right and exercise regularly can help the sleep of everyone, but for those with sleep apnea, it's especially important to take care of yourself so you can face your day feeling alert and happy.
Written by Alexis Borquez
Sources:
Kline, Christopher E., E. Patrick Crowley, Gary B. Ewing, James B. Burch, Steven N. Blair, J. Larry Durstine, J. Mark Davis, and Shawn D. Youngstedt. "The Effect of Exercise Training on Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Sleep Quality: A Randomized Controlled Trial." Sleep. Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC, 01 Dec. 2011.
Goodman, Brenda. "Exercise Improves Sleep and Nighttime Breathing Troubles." WebMD. WebMD, 14 June 2011.
Iftikhar, Imran H., Christopher E. Kline, and Shawn D. Youngstedt. "Effects of Exercise Training on Sleep Apnea: A Meta-analysis." Lung. U.S. National Library of Medicine, Feb. 2014
"Sleep Apnea and Exercise: The Sleep/health Connection Part 1." ResMed. N.p., 19 Aug. 2013.