Gender Differences in the Relationship Between Exercise, Sleep, and Mood in Young Adults

Abstract

Insufficient sleep is a serious public health problem in college students. Exercise is a widely prescribed behavioral treatment for sleep and mood issues; however, more focused and gender-specific prescriptions are needed. The present study examined relationships between exercise, sleep, and mood in undergraduate men and women. Students ( N = 866, 19.6 ± 1.4 years, 38.7% women) were recruited from campus recreation facilities and completed demographic, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, mood (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System), and exercise questionnaires. The Department of Health and Human Services Physical Activity Guidelines were used to dichotomize those who did and did not meet weekly aerobic and strength training exercise recommendations. In men, greater exercise frequency associated with less daytime dysfunction (β = 0.147) and less depressive mood (β = −0.64, ps < .05). In women, greater exercise frequency associated with earlier bedtime (β = −12.6), improved sleep quality (β = 0.17), increased positive affect (β = 0.91), less depressive mood (β = −0.71), and less anger (β = −1.24, ps < .05). Compared to men, women reported earlier bedtime, poorer sleep efficiency, and more anxiety and depressive mood ( ps < .05, [Formula: see text] range: 0.01–0.04 ). Compared to individuals who met physical activity guidelines, those who did not meet the guidelines reported later bedtimes, less positive affect, more anxiety, and more anger ( ps < .05 [Formula: see text]s = 0.01). Among men, those who met physical activity guidelines reported falling asleep more quickly than those who did not meet guidelines ([Formula: see text] = 0.01, p = .007); however, no relationship between guideline adherence and sleep latency was observed in women. Adhering to physical activity guidelines may be important for optimal sleep and emotional health. Clinicians should consider gender when creating exercise prescriptions for sleep issues.

Physical Exercise Ameliorates Anxiety, Depression and Sleep Quality in College Students: Experimental Evidence from Exercise Intensity and Frequency

“…Similarly, in the study, we also found the effect of exercise intensity on sleep quality, that is, the higher the exercise intensity, the better the improvement effect of sleep quality, and there was a significant dose-response effect. However, the Glavin's study pointed out that exercise frequency had an impact on sleep quality, and gender factors can also affect sleep quality [38], which was contrary to the conclusion drawn in this paper that exercise frequency did not lead to improved sleep quality. The main reason for the different results from this study may be the different exercise methods used, which caused the deviation of the results.…”

Associations of Sleep Insufficiency and Chronotype with Inflammatory Cytokines in College Students

“… 1 Insufficient sleep is a serious public health problem in college students. 2 It is generally considered that chronotype is one of an expression of circadian rhythm. 3 The most common methods of classification used in chronotype is morning-types (M-types), neutral-types (N-types) and evening-types (E-types).…”

Health Benefits and Participation Barriers of Different Level Horseback Riders Age-Wise

“…Finally, when dividing the sample by gender, it is important to mention that equestrian sport is a female-dominated sport ( Burbage and Cameron, 2018 ) and this is evident in the distribution of the sample in our study. Regarding the perceived benefits of horseback riding, there are no significant differences in four of the five dimensions, possibly conditioned by the differences in sample size, since in other sports disciplines there are significant differences ( Speck and Harrell, 2003 ; Vlachopoulos et al, 2013 ; Glavin et al, 2021 ). Only social contact is rated higher among men, as in other studies ( Craft et al, 2014 ; van Uffelen et al, 2017 ; Blanco et al, 2019 ).…”