Meta-analysis: Exercise intervention for sleep problems in cancer patients.

Background: Sleep problems cause physical and mental distress and may influence the survival of cancer patients.

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the efficacy of exercise intervention to improve sleep in cancer patients.

Methods: Published papers from 1980 to 2018 were searched.

Results: The major findings included (a) exercise intervention had small positive effects on enhancing total subjective sleep quality (TSSQ; g = 0.38, 95% CI = 0.21-0.54) and objective sleep onset latency (g = 0.21, 95% CI = 0.01-0.41). (b) The characteristics in subgroups in regarding the small to large effects of an exercise programme on sleep were identified. First, the groups of a home-based exercise and a supervised exercise combined with a home-based exercise had a medium effect on TSSQ than the usual group. Second, interventions with aerobic exercise, especially the 4- to 8-week programmes and those with weekly volume of 80-149 min per week for cancer patients with ongoing or completed treatment also had a medium to large positive effect on TSSQ. Finally, patients with breast cancer and haematologic malignancies contributed a small effect in this meta-analysis.

Conclusions: Maintaining regular aerobic exercises, even of different durations and weekly volumes, benefits patient sleep quality.