Does Exercise Support Good Sleep

Does Exercise Support Good Sleep?

There are many components that help to set you up for excellent and consistent sleep. Many are aware of the more popular sleep hygiene tips that promote good sleep including maintaining a consistent wake-up/bedtime schedule, establishing an evening bedtime ritual, keeping your bedroom cool and super dark, etc.

Of course, there’s plenty more you can do to gain deep, restorative sleep and physical activity ranks high on that list. This article speaks to the value daily body movement adds to great sleep. Moreover, it looks at the variety of options available for effective body movement including what type, how much, where and when to exercise.

When is the Best Time of Day to Exercise?

As a sleep science coach, I often hear clients comment, “I get up at 5am so I can workout at the gym before going to work.” Sounds like a great thing, right? But, is getting up extra early to exercise really in your best overall interest, especially if you’re sleep deprived?

Yes, it is, and here’s why. First and foremost, there’s no question that exercise can have a variety of immediate and long-term health benefits. Moreover, research indicates that people who exercise in the mornings obtain deeper sleep than those who exercise in the afternoons. So, score a big one for early morning workouts! Also, exercising in the mornings allows you to get it over with so you know it’s done. Great! Early morning exercise is definitely the way to go! Hold on.

No, it’s not, and here’s why not. When you’re sleep deprived, your body is already under duress. It can be difficult to concentrate, be in a good mood, and even staying awake during the day can become an ordeal.

Now, imagine forcing yourself to get up early, despite feeling wiped out from poor quality and frequently inadequate sleep. The very thing you’re doing to promote good health – engaging in morning exercise - can backfire and thwart your health efforts by increasing already high stress levels. Therefore, insisting on early morning exercise class can in-fact compromise your sleep and with it, your overall wellness!

Evening exercisers, here’s some interesting news for you. Working out in the eves also appears to bring on deeper sleep compared to afternoon body movement. With it though comes some risk for sleep disturbance if care is not used. These risks include:

#1 - Exercising any time of day stimulates the release of stress hormones including cortisol. So, while we want elevated cortisol in the mornings, we don’t want too much in the evenings when we should be down-regulating and moving closer to sleep mode. Consequently, finish whatever physical activity you’re doing in the eves minimally 2-hours before going to bed.

#2 - Working out elevates your core body temperature which is counter to what your master clock needs at bedtime. You may have heard that it’s important to keep your bedroom cool during the night to aid in sound sleep. The same holds true for your core body temperature. Keep it cool!

In short, if you’re physically active in the evenings, it’s important to finish what you’re doing at least 2-hours, preferably 3, before going to bed.

Fitness Industry Myth

True or false: In order to get a meaningful workout, you must go to the gym? Allow me to cut to the chase and shout out, ‘FALSE’! That’s not to say you can’t get a good gym work out. But, for overall wellness and better sleep, 30-minutes of daily body movement seems to do the trick for most.

And, please note, if it’s easier for you to schedule a 5-minute workout 6 times a day, go for it! Too often people think if they can’t fit in a solid hour to workout, that all is lost. That’s entirely untrue and it’s in everyone’s best interests to change that mind set ASAP.

Options to ‘Gymming’ it for Great Health

In short, we want to make physical activity work for us and not against us. This means determining what time to exercise; which body movements to engage in; how intensely to work out; and finding ways to be active that are fun. To make the body movement you engage in more effective, consider the following points.

Where - Anywhere is great. There are plenty of effective workouts we can do at home or even at work that don’t require a lot of space. Wall sits, planks, jacks, wall push-ups, and much more, are easy to do almost anywhere. In fact, good old-fashioned isometric exercises don’t even require you to move!

There’s plenty of free, online info you can check out for movement ideas and to get you started on an exercise routine. Have a look at these top 7-minute workouts. They might be just the thing you’re looking for to give you a sense of physical activity satisfaction. You also might want to switch up your workouts every week or so to make sure all parts of your body are being toned and strengthened.

When - Make working out work for you. If you’re truly okay with an early morning routine, go for it. On the other hand, you might want to mix up the times you exercise according to your weekly schedule. Also, I personally love moving throughout the day for several minutes at a time which could include morning, afternoon and very early eve.

Duration - The fitness industry seems to have prescribed an hour as an optimal amount of time for working out. While that’s possible, it’s by no means definitive. Listen to your body. How do you feel? Are you up for an hour? Do you even have an hour free? Perhaps today you exercise for 45 minutes, tomorrow for 30, and the day after tomorrow for 60.

You decide and let your body and what you’re up for be an integral part of your decision-making. And, always be realistic and kind when using your judgement. If you can move regularly for 30-minutes total- whether all at once or broken up throughout the day - you’re doing great!

Other physical activity - One of the problems with working out is that it contains the word work. Some people dread going to the gym. We know that physical activity can offer wellness, mobility, flexibility, better balance, etc. Did you know that it should also bring you joy? That’s right - pleasure, relax, stress relief, and out and out fun should absolutely be part of your physical movement routine!

If traditional working out is not your thing, move your body in a way that suits you! How about dancing throughout the day to songs you enjoy for about 3-minutes a pop? Ten songs come to a 30-minute workout! Then there’s walking the dog, bowling, painting the walls, gardening, shoveling snow, hiking, biking, playing frisbee, tennis, volleyball, etc. In short, you like it, you do it!

It’s a Wrap

Body movement is extremely helpful to our overall wellbeing, including better sleep. When considering physically activity it’s important to make it work for and not against you. This entails doing things you enjoy, that don’t over stress your body, and finding times and places that support you.

For some, working out at a gym may be the perfect place to exercise. On the other hand, using creativity - where, when, what and for how long - when it comes to body movement, opens an array of options that ordinarily aren’t considered. Truth be told, when we mindfully move on a daily basis even for short periods of time doing things we like, overall wellness and great sleep are not far behind.