Exercise is probably one of the best boon you can give to your body, health and soul. But how does it help in your sleep? Well, it turns out that being active during the day can improve sleep at night. So if you are facing trouble in a good night’s sleep, read more and find out about the relationship between sleep and exercise.
How does exercise influence sleep?
People who don’t exercise regularly report lack in sleep than those who do, according to a National Sleep Foundation poll. Nearly about three-fourth of people who exercised said that their sleep quality was very good or good over two weeks than those who didn’t exercise. Another research indicates that daily exercise increases total sleep time, all leading to greater sleep satisfaction. Exercise increases the amount of adenosine in the body, which results in sleep benefits. Chemical adenosine causes drowsiness, improves circadian rhythm regulation and increases body temperature due to daytime exercise, which allows people to experience deep sleep.
Best time for exercise
Many people think that they can workout anytime they want. While it doesn’t matter what time they are working out, the major thing is to make time to prioritize it. However, vigorous exercise closer to bedtime, nearly two hours or closer, can lead to adverse effects on sleep. A strenuous exercise in the late afternoon could be the best time that allows the heart rate of the body and other vital signs to return normal before bed. In case you are going through any kind of training, then morning could be a preferable time to ensure a good workout before you get busy with the day. You can try moving your workouts to an earlier time in the case if late exercise disturbs your sleep. But if the night is the only time available for you to work out, then you can try a longer, gentle and cool down stretching session after exercise. This will probably let your body know that it is time to wind down.
The best exercise for sleep
It is found that aerobic exercises and resistance exercises have sleep-promoting effects. The best ever type of exercise is the one which you can’t get bored of, even if you were doing it regularly as a part of your routine. Weightlifting or spin class can also promote better sleep.
The time required to exercise for better sleep
All you need to aim is 150 minutes of moderate exercise (that could include aerobic exercises like brisk walking every week) or for 30 minutes every five days a week. You can do 75 minutes of vigorous exercise each week to keep your heart healthy. But if finding 30 minutes in your schedule seems impossible, understand that it’s not only about the half hour you spend at the gym that counts. Even little things like taking stairs, walking instead of driving, spending fewer minutes in sitting positions, everything counts. So, the less sedentary you are during the day, the better you’ll get to sleep at night.
Concluding with all the factors discussed above, it directly leads to an understanding that exercising promotes better sleep. So, if you are looking forward to good sleep, then start exercising today.
