Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of advising sleep health optimization on anthropomorphic variables following 10 weeks resistance exercise training.
Methods: Thirty untrained healthy men were recruited for the study and 23 were included in the final analysis. Participants were randomly assigned to exercise and sleep optimization: ExS (N.=10) or exercise only: Ex (N.=12). Both groups performed a whole-body resistance exercise program twice a week for 10 weeks. The ExS group received sleep health (SH) education on how to improve both sleep quantity and quality.
Results: After 10 weeks of training both groups had increased lean body mass by a similar amount. The ExS group experienced an increase of 1.7±1.1 kg while the Ex group experienced an increase of 1.3±0.8 kg (P=0.29 for difference between groups). The men in the ExS group reduced fat mass significantly (-1.8±0.8 kg) while the Ex group did not (0.8±1.0 kg). P value was 0.02 for difference between groups.
Conclusions: This randomized controlled trial suggests that combining regular resistance exercise training with optimization of sleep health provide significant added benefits to body composition. This optimization provides a simple and cheap tool, applicable to the general healthy population.