Purpose: Nonpharmacological interventions may lead to an improvement in sleep quality. The objective of our study was to evaluate the effects of acute intensive exercise and chronic exercise on sleep patterns in patients with periodic leg movements (PLM).
Methods: The study involved acute and chronic exercise. The acute intensive exercise group consisted of 22 volunteers who underwent a maximum effort test and a polysomnography (PSG) on the same night. The chronic exercise group included 11 patients who performed 72 physical training sessions undergoing three PSG studies on the night of sessions 1, 36, and 72. Blood samples were collected from both acute and chronic groups for β-endorphin dosage.
Results: Our results showed that both forms of physical exercise lowered PLM levels. The acute physical exercise increased sleep efficiency, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, and reduced wake after sleep onset, whereas the chronic physical exercise increased sleep efficiency, REM sleep, and reduced sleep latency. We also found a significant negative correlation between β-endorphin release after acute intensive exercise and PLM levels (r = -0.63).
Conclusion: Physical exercise may improve sleep patterns and reduce PLM levels. The correlation between β-endorphin release after acute intensive exercise and PLM levels might be associated with the impact physical exercise has on the opiodergic system. We suggest that physical exercise may be a useful nonpharmacological treatment for PLM.