ReviewSleep science (Sao Paulo, Brazil)2025
Effect of Physical Exercise on Sleep Quality and Depressive Symptoms in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Review in Sleep science (Sao Paulo, Brazil), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Effects of physical exercise on sleep quality in patients with psychiatric disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Biological mechanisms of different exercise modalities in improving sleep disorders: A review.IBRO neuroscience reports · 2026Review
- Body and Mind Intertwined: Physical Activity Intensity, Sleep Quality, and Depressive Symptoms: Cross-Sectional Associations and Exploratory Path Analysis.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Causal inference in psychiatric research: how to critically evaluate and interpret mendelian randomization studies.Molecular psychiatry · 2026Review
- The impact of physical exercise on sleep quality among college students: a moderated mediation model.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Improvements in sleep quality and depressive symptoms are considered a cornerstone of adult health. Physical exercise is one of the interventions used to treat people with sleep disorders and improve mental health. However, there is no standardization regarding the physical exercise protocols and their effects on sleep quality and depressive symptoms in adults. The present study aims to verify, through a systematic review and meta-analysis, the effect of physical exercise on sleep quality and symptoms of depression in adults. This study adhered to the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement and was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO). The PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Scopus databases were used to identify relevant original articles and clinical trials. Analysis was performed with Review Manager (RevMan) software (The Cochrane Collaboration, London, United Kingdom), version 5.4. The study included men and women over 18-years-old, with physical exercise as the intervention. The studies included pre- and postevaluation of sleep quality and depressive symptoms. A total of 931 articles were found, of which 15 met the eligibility criteria, encompassing 940 participants. Physical exercise significantly improved sleep quality (mean difference: -1.19; 95% confidence interval [95%CI]: -1.66 to -0.73) and depressive symptoms (mean difference: -3.51; 95%CI: -4.66 to -2.36). Aerobic exercise was the most common and effective for both outcomes. Thus, physical exercise was effective in improving sleep quality and depressive symptoms in adults. Additional studies, however, should be performed to confirm these findings.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.