Introduction:

Sleep is an indicator of health and quality of life throughout the life cycle. There are several factors that can interfere, positively or negatively, the quality and quantity of sleep, in particular physical exercise. There are studies that report that sleep positively influence the performance of physical exercise and vice-versa.

Objetive:

Describe the influence of physical exercise on sleep in higher education students.

Methods:

An integrative review of the literature was conducted, with research of articles in the PubMed, B-On and ScienceDirect databases, between august and october 2020.

Results:

The results of most studies analyzed reveal that the practice of physical exercise positively influences the sleep of higher education students, however, not all studies corroborate this conclusion. Studies indicate the existence of a bidirectional relationship.

Conclusion:

In view of the results found, it is considered that more longitudinal investigations are necessary to explore the biological mechanisms that modulate the dynamic interaction between these two variables, physical exercise and sleep, as well as it is necessary to empower students of higher education institutions on the relationship and importance of these factors to increase in the overall quality of life.

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