Resistance exercise and sleep

Education Series by Randy Hebert, MD, Medical Director

We all know that exercise is good for us. There are different types of exercise. Some are mostly aerobic (i.e., exercises that “get the heartrate up” like walking, jogging); others are mostly resistance exercises (i.e., exercises that increase muscle strength like weights and bands).

While both are good for health, new research demonstrates that resistance exercises are more effective for improving sleep.

This is one more way we can improve our sleep without using sleep medicines—these medicines have a lot of side effects.

Bahalayothin, Pakwan, Kittiphon Nagaviroj, and Thunyarat Anothaisintawee. “Impact of different types of physical exercise on sleep quality in older population with insomnia: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.” Family Medicine and Community Health 13.1 (2025): e003056