Department of Physical Education, Rasht Branch, Islamic Azad University, Rasht, Iran.
Sleep Med. 2021 Jun;82:78-83. doi: 10.1016/j.sleep.2021.03.045. Epub 2021 Apr 20.
Previous studies have shown that children with autism have sleep disturbances and elevated levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of aquatic exercise on sleep habits and two certain sleep-related cytokines of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).
Forty boys with ASD (aged 6-14) were recruited and randomly assigned to an aquatic exercise (n = 20) or a control group (n = 20). Participants in aquatic exercise group performed water-based activities for 10 weeks/2 sessions per week/60 min, while control group didn't get any intervention. The serum levels of Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) and Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and sleep quality were measured before and after the intervention.
Results revealed that aquatic exercise may improve sleep quality and reduce the serum levels of IL-1β and TNF-α in children with ASD compared to control group.
Overall, it is recommended that physicians and educators should provide a safe and effective exercise environment for ASD children to alleviate sleep issues and inflammatory biomarkers.
先前的研究表明，自闭症儿童存在睡眠障碍和促炎细胞因子水平升高。本研究旨在评估水上运动对自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）儿童睡眠习惯和两种特定睡眠相关细胞因子的影响。
招募了 40 名患有 ASD 的男孩（年龄 6-14 岁），并将他们随机分配到水上运动组（n=20）或对照组（n=20）。水上运动组的参与者每周进行 2 次、每次 60 分钟的水上活动，而对照组则不进行任何干预。在干预前后测量了血清白细胞介素-1β（IL-1β）和肿瘤坏死因子-α（TNF-α）水平以及睡眠质量。
结果表明，与对照组相比，水上运动可能会改善 ASD 儿童的睡眠质量并降低其血清 IL-1β和 TNF-α水平。
总体而言，建议医生和教育工作者应为 ASD 儿童提供安全有效的运动环境，以缓解睡眠问题和炎症生物标志物。
