Sleep quality tends to decline with age. And researchers say 1 in 5 older adults suffer from insomnia.

Previously published research has shown that exercise helps reduce insomnia symptoms, but it's unclear which types of exercise are most helpful.

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To find out what exercises are best for treating insomnia in older adults, scientists from Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok (Thailand) analyzed data from 24 studies, including 2,045 people aged 60 and over, from Asia, America and Europe.

The authors compared exercise with daily activities, in people with insomnia, using the Pittsburgh Global Sleep Quality Index (GPSQI).

The types of exercises studied include:

• Aerobic exercises, such as cycling, dancing, swimming, brisk walking, and gardening.
• Strength training exercises (also called resistance training) make muscles work against weight or force, such as weightlifting, push-ups, planks, or arm curls.
• Balance exercises.
• Flexibility exercises, such as gymnastics, yoga and Pilates.
• Compound exercises include multiple exercises.

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More than half of the participants exercised at a light to moderate intensity for about 50 minutes, 2-3 times a week. The exercise program lasted an average of 14 weeks.

The results found that resistance or muscle strength training, lifting weights or using body weight (such as squats, push-ups, leg raises), may be the best type of exercise to address insomnia in older adults - improving the GPSQI score by 5.75 points, according to science news site ScitechDaily.

Aerobic exercise improved GPQSI by 3.76 points, while combined exercise improved by 2.54 points.

The study concluded that: Exercise, especially resistance training and aerobic exercise, is beneficial for improving sleep quality, according to ScitechDaily.