Many people find that they sleep better after exercise.
The findings, published in the spring issue of The Journal of Pain, are important because these experimental results differ from what was found in less well-controlled previous studies and challenge the notion that people who are experiencing muscle pain always suffer from an associated sleep disturbance. People experiencing pain, such as those suffering from arthritis or chronic low-back pain, often report sleep problems. A 1997 Louis Harris poll reported that nighttime pain and sleeplessness affects about 15 million Americans. This investigation extended prior research by taking pain-free men and caused them to have muscle pain via exercise. This is good news for people suffering from muscle pain who would rather not take nighttime pain medicine.