Sleep & Exercise

Sleep is important because during sleep is when the body is able to repair itself.  The body can devote all its energy it would be spending on talking, working, walking and such to healing the damage it has been through in that day. This is why it is important to make sure that you sleep as much as you can. 

Deep sleeps help support immune function, cardiac health, reduces stress and anxiety. 

 

Many things can affect the way you sleep. Caffeine, circadian rhythm, adrenaline, and exercise just to name a few. Exercise also gives you a surge of energy so it is important to exercise at the appropriate time of day so that it does not prevent you from sleeping. For most people this is found out through trial and error. I myself am able to exercise right before bed and fall asleep no problem but that does not mean the same for you.  

The current recommendations are to not exercise in the evening due to the potential adverse effect on sleep. Stutz, et. Al. decided to study this matter further, they studied the variables and whether duration and intensity had a deeper effect on sleep. 

The results showed that there was no support in the hypothesis that evening exercise negatively affects sleep (Stutz, Eiholzer, & Spengler, 2018). They actually found the opposite to be true, however, sleep onset, sleep time and sleep efficiency might be impaired after vigorous exercise ending less than one hour before sleep (Stutz, Eiholzer, & Spengler, 2018).

 

Overall, a moderate exercise session prior to sleeping has been shown to improve sleep quality. But if performing vigorous activity reserve this type of activity for morning\afternoons! Yoga, a night time walk, easy lifting session, pretty well anything that keeps your heart rate in the moderate range will better your sleep quality. Just remember there is a fine line between moderate to vigorous activity. 

 

Sleep easy and exercise daily :) 

Stutz, J., Eiholzer, R., & Spengler, C. M. (2018). Effects of Evening Exercise on Sleep in Healthy Participants: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Medicine, 49(2), 269-287. doi:10.1007/s40279-018-1015-0