If you struggle to fall asleep and stay asleep, you can adjust your exercise routine to help you achieve higher quality sleep. While all exercise helps you sleep by reducing your stress and increasing natural feel-good hormones, some exercises carry an additional bonus of being better at promoting high quality sleep than others.
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Aerobic exercise. According to John Hopkins, aerobic exercise has been linked to an increase in the amount of deep sleep you experience. It’s during deep sleep that your body and brain have a chance to repair and grow stronger. Experts don’t know exactly why the two are linked, but theorize that it is because exercise reduces stress that might otherwise keep you awake. While any cardio exercise you enjoy is the right exercise, you might want to try an aerobic swim if you’re struggling with falling asleep. Not only is swimming a great full body aerobic workout, but it also requires that you disengage from the technology that might be over stimulating you throughout your day. You have no choice but to unplug and shut out the world’s noise while you swim.
Strength training. Increased muscle mass is associated with improved quality of sleep. According to a study done by Appalachian State University, people that engage in strength training might fall sleep forty-five minutes faster than normal! Because strength training can reduce your blood pressure, it’s also correlated to less stress. Not only can strength training help you fall asleep and stay asleep, but its during periods of deep sleep that the micro muscle tears you experience when you strength train begin rebuilding. When your muscles repair in this way, the muscles grow stronger than before. If your ultimate goal is to increase your strength and muscle mass, strength training and sleep must go hand in hand.
Yoga. Known for its calming breaths and the relaxation derived from its poses and stretches, yoga is among the top exercises for improved sleep. According to the Sleep Foundation, a regular yoga practice has been linked to reduced insomnia.
The best news of all is that moderate exercise of only thirty minutes may help you sleep better almost immediately. There doesn’t seem to be any reason not to test this theory right now!
Ultimately, experts believe the time of day you exercise might be more important to your sleep than what type of exercise you prefer. Morning and afternoon exercise is better for promoting better sleep than evening or late night exercise. Exercising at night can prove to be too stimulating to promote easy sleep when you’re ready to wind down. If you feel that you need to exercise immediately before bed, yoga or stretching may help you fall asleep better than cardio or strength training.
Do you have a go-to exercise that helps you fall asleep and stay asleep? Share your helpful hints with your fellow FitClub members. Good night, everyone!
