Multitasking exercise enhances objective sleep quality in older women

Tsukuba, Japan—During deep sleep, brain wave amplitude increases, and "δ (delta) power," a key objective indicator of sleep quality, is observed; higher delta power corresponds to deeper, more restorative sleep. Delta power is known to increase through daytime physical activity and mental engagement. Therefore, multitask exercise, which merges physical and cognitive effort, is expected to enhance sleep. However, delta power declines with age, and sleep quality is further affected by hormonal changes, particularly those related to gender. This study, therefore, investigated the effects of multi-task exercise on sleep in elderly women.

The study involved fifteen healthy older women residing in Tsukuba City, who participated in five conditions: (1) low-intensity single-task exercise, (2) low-intensity multi-task exercise, (3) moderate-to-vigorous intensity single-task exercise, (4) moderate-to-vigorous intensity multi-task exercise, and (5) resting in a seated position as a control. Brain activity in the prefrontal cortex was measured before and after each exercise session, and sleep stages and delta power were assessed using polysomnography. Results indicated that low-intensity multitask exercise activated the prefrontal cortex immediately after the session and increased the delta power during sleep.

These findings suggest that low-intensity multitask exercise is a promising strategy for promoting better sleep in older adults and may contribute to the development of new exercise programs.

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This work was supported by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) -MIRAI PROGRAM grant number JPMJMI19D8 to K.T., M. Y. and T.O.; Center of Innovation next (COI next) grant number JPMJPF2017 to T.O.; World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) to M.Y.; Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) grant number JP21zf0127005 to M.I and M. Y.

_{Original Paper}

Title of original paper:
Multi-task exercise increases delta power in non-rapid eye movement sleep among older female adults: A randomized crossover trial

Journal:
NeuroImage

DOI:
10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121105

_{Correspondence}

Professor OKURA, Tomohiro
Institute of Health and Sport Sciences / International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba

_{Related Link}

Institute of Health and Sport Sciences

International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS)

About the World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI)
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About International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (IIIS), University of Tsukuba
World-class institute for sleep medicine, aiming to solve the mechanism of sleep/wakefulness by conducting basic to translational research
The mission of IIIS is to be a multidisciplinary, international hub for the research to elucidate the function of sleep and the fundamental mechanisms of sleep/wake regulation, to elucidate molecular pathogenesis of sleep disorders and related diseases, to develop preventive measures, diagnostic methods, and treatments for sleep.