Sleep depth and continuity before and after chronic exercise in older men: Electrophysiological evidence

Abstract During later life sleep depth (slow-wave sleep, SWS) and maintenance exhibit deleterious changes, with possible negative effects on daytime function. This study assessed the effect of chronic, supervised exercise on sleep using laboratory-based polysomnography (PSG) and repeated measures in older adults. Thirteen men aged 64 ± 3 served as their own controls and had their sleep measured for a total of 6 nights: 3 before and 3 after the 16-week training intervention. Each sequence involved 1 familiarization trial followed by 2 experimental nights (exercise night; nonexercise night) measured using 13-channel PSG (combined electroencephalography, electromyography, and electro-oculography). The exercise challenges consisted of inclined treadmill brisk walking (60 min, 68–69% V ˙ O 2 peak ). The intervention successfully improved some parameters of aerobic fitness, i.e. ventilatory thresholds 1 and 2 ( P P P P