Have you noticed that as you age, the quality of your sleep decreases? The Mr. Wu I recently encountered in the clinic is like this. Before he was 75 years old, he could fall asleep as soon as he touched the pillow, but now he can't sleep even after lying in bed for two or three hours. I finally fell asleep, but woke up several times throughout the night. Due to poor sleep quality, Mr. Wu has a poor mental state during the day and his temper has become irritable. In fact, situations like Uncle Wu are not uncommon in daily life. Today, I would like to recommend a sleep aid exercise to everyone. The occurrence of these symptoms is considered chronic insomnia. In China, more than half of the elderly suffer from insomnia, which seriously reduces their quality of life. A previous study in China investigated the sleep status of over 9000 elderly people aged 60 and above, with an average sleep duration of up to 7 hours. However, 53.8% of participants reported at least one sleep disorder, with 27.5% experiencing difficulty falling asleep and 27.8% experiencing more than two awakenings. Additionally, 15% reported difficulty falling asleep after waking up early. This is basically consistent with the data from last year's "2024 Chinese Residents' Sleep Health White Paper". Difficulty falling asleep, waking up more than twice at night, waking up early, decreased sleep quality, and daytime fatigue are typical manifestations of insomnia. If these symptoms occur at least three times a week and persist for more than three months, it belongs to chronic insomnia. Why are elderly people prone to insomnia? The reasons for insomnia in elderly people are complex, mainly including physiological and psychological factors. As age increases, bodily functions gradually decline and melatonin secretion decreases, which may lead to disrupted sleep wake rhythms. At the same time, older adults have more chronic diseases, such as coughing, phlegm production, frequent toileting, joint pain, and limited turning over at night, which can also affect sleep quality. Psychologically, older adults may experience anxiety and depression due to reduced social distancing and concerns about their health, which can affect their sleep quality. Strength training can improve insomnia. Recently, a meta-analysis (a commonly used statistical method in the medical field) found that strength training has a better effect on improving sleep quality in the elderly. This study included 25 randomized controlled trials, summarizing data from 2170 participants, and systematically evaluated the effects of different types of exercise on sleep quality in older adults with insomnia. The analysis results showed that the sleep quality scores of participants in the strength training group and aerobic exercise group reached the standard of "clinically significant improvement". This may be because during strength training, it is necessary to overcome greater resistance than daily load, causing certain damage to muscles. The human body needs to repair these damages through sleep, which invisibly improves sleep quality. Three types of strength training are more suitable for the elderly. In fact, strength training can also be very simple, some of which can be done at home. Here are three types of strength training methods suitable for the elderly: self weight training, which uses one's own weight to exercise, such as squats, wall push ups, hip bridges, and sitting leg lifts. These actions are simple and easy to perform, do not require additional equipment, and are very suitable for beginners. Elastic band training involves fixing the elastic band, sitting or standing on the ground, stretching it with both hands or one leg, which can effectively exercise large muscle groups. Common movements include step training, arm stretching, etc. Elastic bands are very portable and suitable for exercising at home or outdoors. Fitness equipment training can be conducted in gyms or community fitness areas, using equipment such as leg kicks, sit and push devices for strength training. It should be noted that older adults should pay attention to gradual strength training, starting with simple movements and gradually increasing the intensity and difficulty of the training. It is best to train every other day for 20-30 minutes each time to ensure sufficient recovery time for the body. Meanwhile, warm-up and stretching exercises before and after training are also essential to avoid sports injuries. Come and test your sleep health! Sleep health is closely related to physical health, and the quality of sleep can also affect our mental health, emotional regulation, and cognitive function. Short term sleep deprivation may lead to mood swings, irritability and reduced attention, while long-term sleep deprivation will increase the risk of atherosclerosis, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, dementia and other diseases. So, what kind of sleep is considered healthy sleep? It should be evaluated from four dimensions: adequate sleep duration that is consistent with age refers to sufficient sleep duration within 24 hours, and there are differences in the demand for sleep duration among individuals. The recommended sleep duration also varies among different age groups. For example, for children aged 6-12, the recommended sleep duration is 9-12 hours per day; 13-18 years old for 8-10 hours; 19-60 years old is 7-9 hours; The age limit for people aged 65 and above is 7-8 hours. Continuous and efficient sleep efficiency refers to the ratio of the time spent falling asleep to the total time spent in bed; The higher the sleep efficiency, the more continuous and less likely it is to be interrupted, while conversely, it indicates difficulty falling asleep or waking up easily. High quality sleep, self perceived and revitalized upon waking up; It can also be evaluated through professional scales. The appropriate sleeping time refers to maintaining a regular bedtime and wake-up time within a week. In an ideal situation, the sleep time point should be consistent with the light and dark patterns in the external environment. (New Society)