The effects of exercise on self-rated sleep among adults with chronic sleep complaints

Purpose： The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether and to what extent the observed effects on self-rated sleep in a previous study using a combined treatment program with physical exercise and sleep education can be attributed by the physical activity （PA） component. Methods： The present study reports supplementary analysis of an already described and published study. Data were provided by a nonclinical sample of 98 normal-active adults with chronic initiating and the maintaining of sleep complaints. The additional analysis included sleep log, exercise log, and daily pedometer data which were collected during a baseline week and 6-week of a combined intervention. Results： The results indicate that the number of steps （p -- 0.02） and the duration of PA （p = 0.01） is significantly related to the improvement in subjective sleep measures and therefore reveal an independent effect within this combined sleep program. Sleep diary data （recuperation of sleep, number of awakenings after sleep onset, and wake time after sleep onset time） improved significant （all p 〈 0.01） over the intervention program. About 50% of the participants stated that the PA had an effect on their improvement. Conclusion： Improvements on subjective sleep quality after a combined intervention cannot be attributed to the cognitive component alone, but PA has an independent effect. Adults with chronic sleep complaints benefit from exercise. Therefore structured PA should be implemented in any sleep management programs.

Effects of spectral composition,photoperiod and light intensity on the gonadal development of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar in recirculating aquaculture systems(RAS)

Artificial lighting regimes have been successfully used to inhibit sexual maturity of Atlantic salmon in confinement.However,when these operations are applied in commercial recirculating aquaculture systems(RAS) using standard lighting technology,sexual maturation is not suppressed.In this study,an L_9(3~3) orthogonal design was used to determine the effects of three factors(spectral composition,photoperiod,and light intensity) on the gonadal development of Atlantic salmon in RAS.We demonstrated that the photoperiod at the tested levels had a much greater effect on the gonadosomatic index and female Fulton condition factor than spectral composition and light intensity.The photoperiod had a significant effect on the secretion of sex steroids and melatonin(P<0.05),and a short photoperiod delayed sex steroid and melatonin level increases.The three test factors had no significant effects on the survival rate,specific growth rate,relative weight gain,and male Fulton condition factor(P>0.05).The optimum lighting levels in female and male Atlantic salmon were LD 8:16,455 nm(or 625 nm),8.60 W/m^2;and LD 8:16,8.60 W/m^2,455 nm respectively.These conditions not only delayed gonadal development,but also had no negative effects on Atlantic salmon growth in RAS.These results demonstrate that a combination of spectral composition,photoperiod and light intensity is effective at delaying the gonadal development of both male and female salmon in RAS.