Studies investigating the impact of regular physical exercise on mental health and sleep quality in physically active women

The gap

Evidence profile

Sourced from the stated research gap and limitations and future-work section of the source papers, classified as general, spanning 3 journals. Those papers have been cited 2 times in total.

Supporting evidence — 3 representative gaps

• IMPACTOS DO EXERCÍCIO FÍSICO NA SAÚDE MENTAL E QUALIDADE DE SONO EM MULHERES FISICAMENTE ATIVAS: (2026) · Revista Ilustração · doi

  There is a lack of studies investigating the impact of regular physical exercise on mental health and sleep quality in physically active women. The current literature does not provide a clear understanding of the relationship between physical exercise and emotional variables such as stress, anxiety, and depression.

  generalstated research gapevidence 5/5
  Keywords: there lack studies investigating impact regular physical exercise
• Role of Exercise in Reducing Anxiety and Depression Among Adults (2026) · Academy of Education and Social Sciences Review · doi

  • Although the study included gender and education, other demographic factors like age, socioeconomic factors, and culture were not explored in the study, and this might have been a limitation to our understanding of the effect of those factors on mental health and exercise. • It did not control for factors of diet, sleep, life stressors, or concomitant mental health problems that may have played a role in relationships of exercise and both anxiety and depression.

  generallimitationsevidence 5/5
  Keywords: factors mental health exercise included gender education demographic like socioeconomic culture explored limitation understanding effect
• The Impact of Physical Exercise on Depression in College Students: The Chain Mediation Effect of Psychological Resilience and Sleep Problems (2026) · Behavioral Sciences · cited 2× · doi

  Use randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compare exercise interventions with attention-control groups to establish causality between physical exercise and depression outcomes - Incorporate objective measures, such as wrist-worn accelerometers and salivary cortisol, to corroborate self-reported sleep and stress data - Oversample male participants and test for gender moderation using multi-group structural equation modeling (SEM) - Conduct replication studies in Western or individualistic contexts to assess the broader applicability of the findings - Explore the findings through longitudinal studies to assess the long-term effects of physical exercise on depression, resilience, and sleep

  generalfuture-work sectionevidence 5/5
  Keywords: use randomized controlled trials rcts compare exercise interventions

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