Nursing Key Terms: Exercise, Mobility, Sleep, and Rest

Foundational nursing key terms and simplified definitions covering exercise, movement, mobility, sleep, and rest.

Active exercise

Moving your own body and muscles by yourself.

Activities of daily living (ADLs)

Everyday things you do to take care of yourself, like bathing, eating, dressing, and using the bathroom.

Aerobic exercise

Exercise that makes your heart beat faster and helps you breathe harder, like walking, swimming, or riding a bike.

Atrophy

When a muscle gets smaller and weaker because it is not being used enough.

Contractures

When muscles or tissues become tight and make it hard to move a joint.

Ergonomics

Setting up your work or equipment so your body stays comfortable and does not get hurt.

Flaccidity

When muscles are loose, floppy, and have little strength or tightness.

Footdrop

When you have trouble lifting the front of your foot, causing your toes to drag when you walk.

Fracture

A broken bone.

Instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs)

Tasks that help you live on your own, like cooking, shopping, paying bills, and taking medicine.

Isokinetic exercise

Exercise that moves your muscles at a steady speed while special equipment controls the resistance.

Isometric exercise

Tightening your muscles without moving your body or joints, like squeezing your stomach muscles while staying still.

Isotonic exercise

Exercise that makes your muscles get shorter or longer as you move, like lifting a weight.

Orthopedics

The area of medicine that treats problems with bones, muscles, and joints.

Paralysis

When you cannot move a body part.

Paresis

When a body part is weak and is hard to move, but you can still move it a little.

Passive exercise

When someone else moves your arms or legs for you because you cannot move them by yourself.

Range of motion (ROM)

How far you can move a joint, like bending your elbow or lifting your arm.

Safe patient handling and mobility (SPHM)

Safe ways to lift, move, or help patients without hurting them or yourself.

Spasticity

When muscles become too tight and stiff, making movement difficult.

Strength and endurance exercises

Exercises that make muscles stronger and help you keep moving for longer without getting tired.

Stretching exercise

Stretching your muscles to help your body become more flexible and move better.

Tonus (muscle tone)

The slight tightness in your muscles that helps you stand up straight and get ready to move.

Circadian rhythms

Your body's natural 24-hour clock that helps tell you when to sleep and wake up.

Enuresis

Peeing in your sleep, also called bed-wetting.

Hypersomnia

Sleeping too much or feeling very sleepy during the day.

Insomnia

Having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep.

Melatonin

A hormone your body makes that helps you know when it is time to sleep.

Narcolepsy

A sleep problem that makes a person extremely sleepy during the day and sometimes causes them to fall asleep suddenly.

Non–rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep

The stages of sleep when your body relaxes and rests, including deep sleep.

Sleep

A natural time when your body and brain rest and recover.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)

When your airway gets blocked while you sleep, causing you to stop breathing for short periods.

Parasomnias

Unusual things that happen while you sleep, like sleepwalking or having night terrors.

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep

A stage of sleep when your brain is very active and you often have dreams.

Rest

Taking a break from activity so your body and mind can relax.

Restless legs syndrome (RLS)

A problem that makes your legs feel uncomfortable and gives you a strong urge to move them, especially at night.

Sleep cycle

The pattern your body goes through as you move between different stages of sleep during the night.

Sleep deprivation

Not getting enough sleep.

Sleep hygiene

Good habits that help you sleep better, like going to bed at the same time every night.

Somnambulism

Sleepwalking, which means walking or doing things while you are still asleep.