Cancer Medicine (Apr 2024)

Effects of resistance training on sleep quality and disorders among individuals diagnosed with cancer: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials

  • Dora Maric,
  • Salvatore Ficarra,
  • Luca Di Bartolo,
  • Carlo Rossi,
  • Zoi Asimakopoulou,
  • Apostolos Vantarakis,
  • Ana Carbonell‐Baeza,
  • David Jiménez‐Pavón,
  • Beatriz Gomes,
  • Paula Tavares,
  • Rebecca Baxter,
  • Susanna Pusa,
  • Petra Thaller,
  • Sofia Papakonstantinou,
  • Musa Kirkar,
  • Francesca Glorioso,
  • Marina Galioto,
  • Ambra Gentile,
  • Ewan Thomas,
  • Antonino Bianco

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/cam4.7179
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13, no. 8
pp. n/a – n/a

Abstract

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Abstract Background Sleep disorders are often complained by cancer patients and can last years after the end of therapies, leading to different negative consequences. Non‐pharmacological strategies such as exercise interventions may be considered to counteract this phenomenon. The literature supports the beneficial effects of aerobic training (AT), while evidence on resistance training (RT) is scarce. Accordingly, our systematic review aims to investigate the potential novel effect of RT on sleep outcomes in cancer survivors. Methods The literature search was conducted on MEDLINE (Pubmed), Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases, including only randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The screening procedure was conducted using the web‐based software COVIDENCE. Sleep outcomes assessed through self‐reported questionnaires or objective sleep measurements were extracted from RCTs recruiting cancer survivors of any age and gender, on or off treatment. The risk of bias (RoB) for each study was assessed using the Cochrane RoB 2 tool for RCTs. Meta‐analytic syntheses were performed on sleep quality and insomnia. Results A total of 21 studies were included in the review. Considering the mean percentage differences of all studies combined, promising positive results were found after combined aerobic and resistance exercise program (COMB) for sleep quality (−19%) and sleep disturbance (−17.3%). The meta‐analysis results showed significant improvement for both sleep quality and insomnia (d = 0.28, SE: 0.11, Z = 2.51, p < 0.01, 95% CI: 0.07–0.49 and d = 0.43, SE: 0.20, Z = 2.18, p = 0.029, 95% CI: 0.07–0.49, respectively). Conclusion RT interventions of 60 minutes per session, performed 2–3 times a week for 12 weeks, with exercise intensity ranging from 60% to 80% of one‐repetition maximum can be administered to cancer survivors, aiming to improve sleep outcomes.

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