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Sleep is important for our health as we age, particularly for brain health.

If you’re over 65 and have trouble sleeping, a Johns Hopkins University study may be able to help.

Hopkins researchers, hoping that exercise can improve sleep and cognitive health, have created an exercise plan that can be done at home. The exercises are tailored to each individual, so they’re not difficult to follow.

“Overall, participants seem to really enjoy it,” said Dr. Junxin Li, principal investigator of the study.

“We are trying to promote physical activity in low-income older adults. The outcome we are looking for is better sleep and cognitive performance.”

The exercise connection

Perhaps you’ve noticed how well you sleep after a long walk or a good workout. But it’s harder to exercise outdoors in the winter, and a gym membership isn’t always affordable for everyone.

The Hopkins study is open to low-income adults 65 or older who have difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. (No official diagnosis is necessary.)

Low-income older adults are at higher risk to develop Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias as well as sleep disturbances. Hopkins researchers want to find a solution.

How the study works

First, all volunteers will go downtown for a short, in-person visit. “We provide a ride if needed,” Li said.

There, Li’s team will assess physical function and cognitive health (there’s also a voluntary blood draw). They’ll repeat those brief tests in six months and then a year later.

Once enrolled, participants will be randomly placed in one of two groups. One group will exercise three times a week for about six months.

Participants in that group will take home a tablet and a FitBit wristband to track their workouts. If they don’t know how to use them or how to use Zoom, Li’s team will teach them how to use the technology in one or two sessions.

Then Li’s team will visit twice a week to help people do the exercises.

“We’ll go to the participant’s home to conduct a personal training program,” Li explained. “It’s tailored to them.”

The personalized exercises focus on building strength, maintaining balance and stretching muscles. People can also follow exercise videos on their tablet.

All the while, Hopkins will keep in touch. “We have biweekly phone calls where we’ll be able to adjust” the exercise plan, Li said, to “give them more or less, based on how they were doing.”

Home visits to socialize

The other group will focus on social activities instead. Once a month for six months, Li’s researchers will visit these participants in person to talk about physical activity, play games, listen to music or just talk about their lives.

“They also have a choice of options for the five sessions: art-making, playing board games, etc.,” Li said.

For more information about the mPATH study, or to see if you qualify, email mpath@jhu.edu or call (443) 692-7169.