This review could find no consistent or conclusive evidence on whether exercise impacts on sleep in people who have rheumatoid arthritis , therefore no firm conclusions can be made .
However , there is some indication that exercise may have positive benefits on sleep in people who have rheumatoid arthritis .
To systematic ally search for the availability of evidence for exercise impacting on sleep for people who have rheumatoid arthritis .
The Effect of Exercise on Sleep and Fatigue in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Randomized Controlled Study
Objective . Sleep disturbance and chronic fatigue are common in rheumatoid arthritis ( RA ) and contribute to disability , symptomatology , and healthcare use . It has long been recognized in other population s that exercise can improve sleep and diminish fatigue . The effect of exercise on sleep quality and fatigue in RA has not been evaluated . Methods . Ours is a r and omized controlled study in RA to determine the effect of an exercise program on sleep quality and fatigue . These were measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Fatigue Severity Scale .  Patients were r and omized to either a 12-week , home-based exercise intervention or usual care . The exercise program consisted of specific exercises to target individual deficiencies identified using the Health Assessment Question naire ( HAQ ) with cardiovascular work as per the guidelines . The intervention group was evaluated on a 3-week basis . Full evaluation was carried out at baseline and at 12 weeks . Results . Forty patients were r and omized to the intervention with 38 controls . In the exercise intervention group , there was a statistically significant improvement in HAQ ( p = 0.00 ) , pain ( p = 0.05 ) , stiffness ( p = 0.05 ) , sleep quality ( p = 0.04 ) , and fatigue ( p = 0.04 ) . In our control group , there was a statistically significant improvement demonstrated in their overall perceptions of the benefits of exercise , but none of the other variables . Conclusion . Our study demonstrates that an exercise program result ed in significant improvement in sleep quality and fatigue . This is particularly interesting given the importance of fatigue as an outcome measure in RA and gives us yet another reason to prescribe exercise in this population
This review could find no consistent or conclusive evidence on whether exercise impacts on sleep in people who have rheumatoid arthritis , therefore no firm conclusions can be made .
However , there is some indication that exercise may have positive benefits on sleep in people who have rheumatoid arthritis .
To systematic ally search for the availability of evidence for exercise impacting on sleep for people who have rheumatoid arthritis .