The effect of aerobic training and vitamin D supplements on the neurocognitive functions of elderly women with sleep disorders

Purpose: The age-related physical and mental disorders in the elderly are issues that endure social and economic costs. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of aerobic training and vitamin D supplements on the neurocognitive functions of elderly women with sleep disorders. Methods: A quasi-experimental with a pre/post-test study design was used, where 36 aged women 60–70 years old were randomly divided into four groups: aerobic training (ATG), vitamin D (VDG), aerobic training + vitamin D (ATDG) and control (CG). The aerobic exercise protocol was performed for eight weeks with three sessions a week for 50 min. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Scale was used to evaluate the sleep status profile of participants. The reaction speed, selective attention and information processing were measures of the neurocognitive functions before and after the training period. Results: The information processing increased significantly from pre- to post-training by 18.0% in the ATDG, 15.7% in the VDG, and 13.2% in the ATG (p < 0.001). Also, selective attention increased significantly from pre- to post-training by 16.2% in the ATDG, 12.2% in the VDG, and 11.9% in the ATG (p < 0.001). The quality of sleep score was reduced from pre- to post-training by 42.3% in the ATDG, 19.1% in the VDG, and 35.6% in the ATG (p < 0.001). However, no difference was observed in the CG (p > 0.05). The reaction time was reduced significantly from pre- to post-training by 8.6% in the ATDG (p < 0.01). However, no significant difference was observed in the CG, the VDG and the ATG (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The present study showed that aerobic exercise plus vitamin D supplements improved the neurocognitive functions of elderly women.