Exercise and Sleep 

• Regular exercise can do wonders for the quality of your sleep.

• The best time to exercise, if you’re concerned about good sleep, is late afternoon or early evening.

• Morning exercise can also be beneficial, while exercising right before bed can contribute to poor sleep.

The benefits of regular exercise are widely known, and new benefits of exercise are found everyday by researchers.  It has been proven to improve heart health, control blood pressure, build strong bones and muscles, combat stress and muscle tension, and even improve your mood.  Exercise also enables sound sleep.  Regular exercise has been proven to lengthen a night’s sleep, making it sounder and improving daytime wakefulness. 

There are direct links between feeling tired, the amount of exercise you get, and the amount of sleep you get.  Some folks don’t exercise because they feel tired.  Little do they know that improving sleep and exercise habits will greatly reduce their daytime fatigue and the amount of sleep each night.  So the question is “what can I do about it?”

It’s a myth that exercising right before bed can aid sleep; it actually makes it more difficult.  The myth lies in that “exercise will make you feel more tired.”  The reality is that exercise stimulates the brain, heart and muscles, and this is not what you want for bed time.  Exercise also raises your body temperature, which is another sleep deterrent. 

Morning exercise is a good way to relieve stress and improve your mood.  The benefits of morning exercise will indirectly improve sleep.  In addition to morning exercise, exposure to sunlight in the morning also aids sleep by reinforcing your body’s natural sleep cycle.

When it comes to aiding sleep, vigorous exercise during the late afternoon and early evening seems to be best.  Exercise raises your body temperature, allowing several hours for it to return to normal.  A decrease in body temperature is a trigger that allows your body to fall asleep.  This is best accomplished through cardiovascular exercise, meaning engaging in activities that keep your heart rate up and muscles pumping for at least 20 minutes.  It doesn’t really matter what you choose to do, just make sure it becomes part of your routine three or four times a week.  

Key Words:

exercise, sleep, morning, bedtime, cardiovascular, routine