Can physical activity improve sleep quality in breast cancer survivors?

This article looked at the use of physical activity (PA) in improving sleep problems in breast cancer (BC) survivors. The authors found that PA may be effective in improving sleep quality in BC survivors. 

Sleep is essential for good health. Sleep problems affect physical and emotional health. Sleep also affects immune system function. Most cancer patients have sleep problems ranging from insomnia to lethargy. Patients with BC have been found to have higher rates of sleep disturbance compared to other cancers. Studies have shown the 38% of BC survivors report having poor quality sleep. 

Previous studies have indicated that PA may be effective in managing sleep problems. The use of PA during BC treatment has been shown to improve the outcomes of these patients. However, the effectiveness of PA in improving sleep quality in BC survivors is still not clear. 

There were 6 articles analyzed for this study. Overall, 485 BC survivors were included. Of these, 241 used PA and 244 usual care (control). The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) is a questionnaire that was used to measure sleep quality and sleep disturbances in these patients. 

3 studies reported a significant improvement in sleep quality in the PA group compared to the control group. In these studies, there was no difference in sleep duration and use of sleep medications between groups. In 4 other studies, other features such as sleep disturbances, and daytime dysfunction were not affected by the use of PA.

The authors concluded that PA may be effective in improving sleep quality in BC survivors.

Most of the studies analyzed here included a very small number of participants. Further trials with larger population sizes are required to verify the results of this article.