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

Abstract

ObjectiveThe 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.MethodsA 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.ResultsThe 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.ConclusionsA 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.