ABSTRACT
Objective:To investigate the relationship between number of daily steps and insomnia in patients with chronic insomnia using "WeChat Sports" program.Methods:A total of 190 patients with insomnia who received treatment in Department of Neurology, Zhejiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated Wenzhou Hospital between October 2017 and October 2019. General data (age, sex, body mass index, history of smoking and alcohol use) and the number of daily steps recorded by "WeChat Sports" program were collected. Patients whose average number of daily steps was greater than 7500 were assigned to the sufficient exercise group ( n = 68), and the remaining patients were assigned to the insufficient exercise group ( n = 122). Patient symptoms were assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), The Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and generalized Anxiety Disorder scale-7. Scale evaluation and data collection were performed by two trained investigators. Data were compared between the two groups. The correlation between average number of daily steps and each scale score was analyzed. Results:Total PSQI score in the sufficient exercise group was significantly lower than that in the insufficient exercise group [(12.94 ± 3.14) points vs. (14.93 ± 2.99) points, t = 4.31, P < 0.001]. Scores of subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, habitual sleep efficiency, use of sleep medication, and daytime dysfunction were significantly lower in the sufficient exercise group than those in the insufficient exercise group ( P = 0.011, 0.008, 0.025, 0.039, 0.006). The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 scores in the sufficient exercise group were significantly lower than those in the insufficient exercise group ( P = 0.011, P = 0.002). The average number of daily steps was significantly negatively correlated with total PSQI score, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 score, Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 score, and score of each PSQI component (subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, habitual sleep efficiency, and daytime dysfunction) ( r = -0.29, -0.16, -0.19, -0.24, -0.15, -0.18, -0.23). Conclusion:Insomnia patients with insufficient daily exercise have more serious insomnia and emotional symptoms than those with sufficient daily exercise. Daily average exercise is correlated with the severity of insomnia and emotional symptom.