New study suggests resistance training helps sleep

Q: I sometimes have trouble sleeping. I've tried running, which helps with stress, but not with sleep. My husband says he just heard on the news that weightlifting is supposed to be good for sleep. Do you know if this is true?

A: We suspect your husband is referring to the preliminary results of a new study, presented earlier this year at an American Heart Association conference, that found resistance training, such as lifting weights, can have a beneficial effect on sleep. The study's outcomes affirm previous research, which has also found that resistance training can offer sleep benefits. Before we get to the details, we want to point out this study hasn't yet completed peer review. That's the process in which other experts in the same field evaluate someone's research or scholarly work.

The new study looked at 386 sedentary adults who were also overweight and had high blood pressure. More than one-third of them reported having trouble getting adequate and high-quality sleep. The participants were divided into four groups. One group, which acted as the control, did no exercise. The remaining groups completed three, 60-minute exercise sessions per week. One group was assigned resistance training only. This consisted of working the major muscle groups on 12 different weight and resistance machines. One group did only aerobic exercise, choosing from stationary bikes, treadmills or elliptical machines. And the third group did a combination of the two — 30 minutes of resistance training and 30 minutes of aerobic activity.

At the end of one year, the participants were evaluated for factors that included sleep duration, sleep quality, how long it took to fall asleep and how often their sleep was interrupted. Each group, including the control group, saw improvements in sleep duration. However, the resistance training group, with an increase in 40 minutes of sleep per night, had the best results. The aerobics-only group saw their sleep increase an average of 23 minutes per night, while the mixed exercise group got an additional 17 minutes per night. The study participants in the control group, who did not exercise, reported a gain of 15 minutes of sleep per night.

When it came to sleep efficiency, which is the percentage of time someone spends asleep while in bed, only the resistance exercise and combined exercise groups saw improvements. The sleep efficiency of the aerobic exercise or control groups remained the same.

While interesting, it's important to remember these findings are preliminary. We would hate for them to cause anyone to give up aerobic activities, which improve lung function, cardiovascular health, mood and stamina. For those who may be inspired to add resistance training to their exercise regimen, the weight machines used in the study are not the only option. Resistance exercise can also be done with free weights and elastic resistance bands. You can also harness the weight of your own body by doing pushups, squats, lunges and chin-ups.

Not only do resistance exercises build strength, they also improve bone health. And if your sleep improves, you can consider it a bonus.

Q: How do I tell my doctor I have a problem with alcohol? I'm prescribed pain medicine, which I don't abuse. However, my alcohol consumption has increased, especially since my mom died last fall. I want to bring it up, but I am not sure how, or even if I should.

A: We want to begin by saying it takes courage to recognize when you have a problem. Alcohol is a widely accepted part of adult life, which makes it easy to label potentially damaging behavior as merely social drinking. By acknowledging your concern about the changing role of alcohol in your own life, you've taken an important first step to regaining control and balance.

You've also opened the door to examining why this has occurred, which can be painful. It's understandably difficult to share this kind of personal information. But in addition to the impact that substance abuse can have on one's physical and mental health, the fact that you are taking pain medications makes this important information for your doctor to have.

Alcohol can reinforce the sedative properties of a range of prescription pain medications. This can lead to unexpected, and even dangerous, results. It's important to become aware of any potential side effects that can arise from mixing alcohol with the medications you have been prescribed.

In our experience, excessive alcohol use begins as a behavior, a numbing process used to medicate underlying pain or emotion. When someone understands what's behind this behavior, whether it's boredom, anger, disappointment, fear, anxiety or, as in your case, grief, they can begin to focus on healthier, more useful and more healing coping mechanisms. We think you will be best served by approaching your doctor with honesty and clarity.

It will also be helpful if you have a goal in mind. It may be as simple as wanting your doctor to have this information as part of your medical history. Or perhaps you would like to engage further and get support, information or a referral. By beginning with “I just wanted you to know” or “I wonder if you can help me with,” you're setting the stage for the conversation you're comfortable having at that point in time.

When someone's alcohol consumption edges into heavy drinking territory, which is currently defined as 15 or more drinks per week for men and eight or more drinks per week for women, we use what is known as the CAGE questionnaire. We ask if the person feels they should “cut back” on drinking, if they get “annoyed” when someone questions their alcohol use, if drinking makes them feel “guilty” and if they have recently started the day with a drink as an “eye-opener.” A single “yes” answer to any of the questions indicates the need for further evaluation. Two or more affirmative answers indicate an increased risk of alcohol dependence.

While letting your doctor know about your struggle with alcohol can feel intimidating, it's actually important information for him or her to have to help you maintain your good health and well-being. In sharing this information now, you may be preventing future pain and harm.

• Dr. Eve Glazier is an internist and associate professor of medicine at UCLA Health. Dr. Elizabeth Ko is an internist and assistant professor of medicine at UCLA Health. Send your questions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla.edu.