Over the years, there has been a great deal of research done on the connection between exercise and sleep. Previous research has shown that regular exercise helps improve sleep-related issues and aid in getting enough rest. Insufficient or poor-quality sleep, according to recent studies, may also result in less physical activity the next day.
Because of these factors, modern scientists concur that there is a reciprocal link between sleep and exercise. In other words, improving your exercise regimen may help you sleep better, while obtaining enough sleep may encourage healthy levels of physical activity throughout the day.
It has been extensively contested throughout the years whether exercising just before bed affects the quality of your sleep. You may learn more about the benefits of exercising before bed in this article.
According to conventional sleep hygiene, engaging in vigorous activity in the three hours before bed might impair your ability to sleep10 because it raises your body’s temperature, heart rate, and adrenaline levels. However, other research has found that working out before night may not have any unfavorable impacts.
According to a study, most people who exercise around 8 o’clock or later fall asleep easily, get a good quantity of deep sleep, and wake up feeling rested. Similar percentages were observed by those who exercised between 4 and 8 p.m., indicating that some people may benefit from late-night activity.
Similar findings from other investigations were obtained. In one, people who exercised in the evening reported less stage 1 (or light) sleep and more rapid eye movement sleep with greater latency compared to the control group. Researchers also discovered that a greater core temperature, which can happen after strenuous exercise, was linked to less efficient sleep and spending more time awake following sleep onset. Therefore, while doing exercise in the hour before bed may not be fundamentally hazardous, it can alter how well you sleep and how much time you sleep overall.
Nevertheless, according to certain research, the great majority of people do not exercise an hour before bed. One instance is the 2005 Sleep in America study conducted by the National Sleep Foundation among persons 18 and older. Among these respondents, 4% claimed to work out within an hour before bedtime every night, 7% claimed to do so a few evenings per week, and 5% claimed to work out a few nights per month. The remaining respondents either didn’t want to answer or exercised little or never an hour before bed.
You should base your exercise timings and intensity on what best suits your sleep routine because survey results among late-night exercisers have been inconsistent. Some workouts could be better for sleep than others. These consist of breathing exercises, yoga, and gentle stretching.
Some related articles can be found here.