Exercising Before Bed May Improve Sleep

Many people know they need to exercise more, but often have no time in the morning or during the day. Health experts now say that’s no problem – the more you exercise, even before going to bed, is not only good to your overall health, but it may also improve your sleep.

This is a great option for all insomniacs who can’t fall asleep for hours – instead of watching TV late at night, they can spend half an hour exercising, jogging or cycling in the neighborhood. Even taking a walk close to bedtime may improve the quality of sleep, according to a new report by the National Sleep Foundation in the United States. The 2013 Sleep in America Poll found that people who exercised at any time of the day were sleeping better and feeling more rested than those who didn’t exercise at all. The results also show that exercising in the last four hours before bedtime, or in the evening, is as good as exercising during the day for the sleep. The poll included a thousand men and women who were asked how much they exercised and how they slept.

More than 50 percent of those who were vigorous and moderate exercisers said they slept better on exercise days, even when it was right before going to bed. In fact, the theory that physical activity before bed is bad for sleep has never been proved. It’s based on the idea that workouts stimulate the body and increase the body temperature which would keep people awake. But it turns out that even vigorous exercise won’t keep you awake. On the contrary, the researchers found that the more you exercise the better you sleep. And people who don’t exercise at all reported more sleeping and health problems. Sedentary lifestyle also had negative impact on sleep.

While very active people reported fewer sleep problems and admitted they needed less sleep in order to function at their best during the day, sedentary people experienced more symptoms of sleep apnea and insomnia. So, it seems that physical activity is beneficial to sleep and maybe more exercise means less sleeping hours. According to researchers, the poll shows that even in modern busy life we may have a convenient time to exercise, and that’s the evening.