Effects of HIIT at different frequencies in an aquatic environment on mental health in multimorbid older people: A randomized clinical trial

TL;DR

A study found that high-intensity interval training in water twice a week improves sleep and mental health in older adults with multiple health issues.

Contribution

The study demonstrates that twice-weekly HIIT aqua aerobics is effective for mental health in multimorbid older adults.

Findings

Twice-weekly HIIT aqua aerobics improved sleep quality, reduced daytime sleepiness, anxiety, and depression.

Mental health benefits were not observed with once-weekly training.

HIIT in water was safe and well-tolerated by participants with multiple chronic conditions.

Abstract

•HIIT aqua aerobics twice a week improves sleep, anxiety, and depression in older adults.•Mental health benefits were observed only with a training frequency of twice per week.•HIIT in water was safe and well-tolerated by multimorbid elderly participants.

HIIT aqua aerobics twice a week improves sleep, anxiety, and depression in older adults.

Mental health benefits were observed only with a training frequency of twice per week.

HIIT in water was safe and well-tolerated by multimorbid elderly participants.

This study aimed to compare the chronic effects of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) aqua aerobics performed once a week (G1) versus twice a week (G2) on sleep quality, daytime sleepiness, anxiety, and depression in older adults with multimorbidities.

Both groups performed the same exercises (9 in total) with identical volume (4 sets of 30 seconds of activity followed by 30 seconds of rest) and intensity (80 %–90 % of Heart Rate max, corresponding to 8–9 on the Borg Scale), in 40-minute sessions. Mental health parameters were assessed 48 hours after the last training session. To analyze the effects of HIIT, a two-way analysis of variance (anova), with Bonferroni post hoc tests, was used with a significance level set at p < 0.05.

Initially, one hundred and twenty-nine older adults were assessed for eligibility. Fifty-six older adults with multimorbidities, including diabetes, hypertension, and depression, completed the study. Significant improvements were observed only in G2 (sessions performed twice a week), with increases in sleep quality (+49 %, p = 0.032) and reductions in daytime sleepiness (-50 %, p = 0.041), anxiety (-45 %, p = 0.047), and depression (-62 %, p = 0.017).

The results suggest that HIIT aqua aerobics improves mental health outcomes in older adults with multimorbidities only when performed at least twice a week.

Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials (ReBEC) RBR-9kqwd5f. Registered on January 14, 2024.

Figures