It is an established fact that is supported by doctors and sleep experts that quality sleep and exercise are essential for the overall well being of a person. It is necessary for a person to sleep for 7 to 8 hours every night and exercise for at least 30 minutes a day. Another important aspect that one should know is that staying active and performing exercise is essential for your sleep health as it aids in sleeping better. Due to their busy schedule, people choose to workout whenever they get time but understanding the apt time for workout also has an impact on your health.
How exercise aids in sleep?
Exercise helps in reducing the cortisol and also help in getting better sleep. Both anaerobic and aerobic exercise can help restorative and deep sleep which in turn helps the body’s immune system, improves cardiovascular health by lowering the blood pressure and improving the mental health as it reduces stress and anxiety. Outdoor exercise like running or walking is considered better than indoor as it helps the body to get the natural light which contains Vitamin D and also to set the internal body clock.
Exercise is also known to produce feel-good hormones which reduce the chances of mood disorders or sleep disorders like sleep apnea, insomnia, etc from developing.
What is the best time to exercise?
Morning exercise: This is considered the best time to get your workouts as it can help you sleep better at night. As per a recent study people who workout in the morning experience deeper sleep at night and the most important aspect is that almost 75% of the sleep is spent in restorative stages which improves your bodily functions. Moreover, exercising early in the morning aids in the absorption of Vitamin D and regulating the sleep-wake cycle.
Afternoon workouts: If you can’t make the time to exercise in the morning, you can do so 5 to 6 hours before bedtime as it can help you fall asleep fast. Moreover, the body temperature increases when you workout and stays so for about 4 hours after the exercise session after which it returns to normal before falling slowly dropping a few degrees during sleep. The drop in body temperature can help you to fall asleep. Another reason, exercise in the afternoon helps is that it can prevent you from eating big meals which can disrupt sleep.
Strengthening exercise done at any time can improve sleep:
Research shows that strength training done at any time does not affect sleep or the time spent in restorative stages. People who do bicep curls or bench press sleep well during the night and those who like to pump iron get to sleep faster compared to others but overall those who lift weights sleep better.
Avoid exercise at night:
It is best to avoid a rigorous exercise late in the evening or before bed as it keeps you awake well past bedtime. When you work out the body temperature increases and also stimulates the brain which interferes in your sleep. If you are short of time and unable to exercise during the day, then you can do a simple stretching exercise like yoga or go for a walk which relaxes and de-stresses you.
To maintain the exercise and sleep regimen the environment that you sleep in is critical. Many things like an old mattress or a wrong type of mattress can cause sleep disruptions and make you sleep in which eats the exercise time opines mattress retailer Wakefit. When sleep is compromised, it leads to a drop in physical activity and less sleep. Ensure that the sleep environment is right and you stick to a sleep schedule to make time for exercise.
