Can Strength Training Help You Sleep Better as You Age?

This week’s signal

Published September 9, 2026 in GeroScience, the study included 36 community-dwelling adults ages 64–81. Participants were assigned to three weekly sessions of explosive lower-body resistance training for 12 weeks or to a control group that maintained its usual lifestyle.

What the researchers found

Compared with control, the resistance-training group improved objective sleep efficiency and total sleep time. The study also reported lower resting sensorimotor lactate; subjective sleep measures were less convincing.

Why it matters

The findings add to evidence that resistance exercise may support more than muscle and strength in older adults. Because the study was small and used a specific training protocol, it should not be treated as proof that resistance training is a treatment for insomnia.

What not to overclaim

The sample was small, analyzable participant counts varied by outcome, and the intervention used a specific explosive lower-body program. The study does not show that every resistance routine improves sleep, that the effect applies to younger adults, or that exercise should replace evaluation or treatment for persistent sleep problems.

Sources

Primary study: Scherrer S, Egger S, Liu X, et al. “Reduced sensorimotor lactate concentration and improved sleep efficiency following resistance training in older adults.” GeroScience. Published September 9, 2026. DOI: 10.1007/s11357-026-02519-x.

Context: Earlier randomized research in older adults has also reported improved sleep efficiency and less sleep fragmentation after resistance training, but protocols and populations differ.