Abstract
In this study, we examined whether physical exercise was effective in improving the subjective sleep quality of subjects with chronic schizophrenia. The subjects were nine female patients with a mean age of 62.3 years. They performed exercises with an approximate intensity of 4.0 METs for 20 minutes in the evening. We observed improvement in the Japanese version of insomnia severity index (ISI-J) after 10 weeks, 6 times/week (63 times in total), and an average of 24 times per month. Furthermore, the ISI-J deteriorated one month after the discontinuation of physical exercise. Thus, the findings suggest that continuous physical exercise performed in the evenings is useful for the subjective sleep quality of elderly patients with schizophrenia who suffer from chronic insomnia.
