Exploring the Impact of Exercise on Your Sleep Quality

We all know that exercise is essential for our physical health, but did you know that it also plays a crucial role in our sleep quality? The relationship between exercise and better sleep quality is a fascinating one, with numerous studies highlighting the positive impact of physical activity on our sleep patterns.

Below, we will explore how exercise affects your sleep and discuss the best time to exercise for optimal sleep benefits. Whether you're a fitness enthusiast or someone looking to improve your sleep, understanding the connection between exercise and sleep can help you establish healthy habits and enjoy a restful night's sleep.

Understanding the Sleep & Exercise Connection

Regular exercise has been shown to improve sleep quality in various ways. [1] Physical activity, such as aerobic exercise, helps reduce the time it takes to fall asleep, allowing individuals to transition into a restful state more quickly.

It also increases the duration of deep sleep, which is the most restorative stage of the sleep cycle. This deep sleep phase is crucial for repairing and rejuvenating the body, promoting muscle growth, and enhancing cognitive function. [2]

Furthermore, it has been found to reduce symptoms of insomnia and sleep disorders. [3] Engaging in physical activity can alleviate stress and anxiety, which are common contributors to sleep disturbances.

It also helps regulate the body's internal clock, the circadian rhythm, which is essential in establishing a consistent sleep-wake cycle. [4]

Establishing Healthy Exercise and Sleeping Habits

Forming healthy habits and incorporating various physical activities into your routine is key to maximizing the positive impact of exercise on sleep. Health guidelines recommend aiming for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise or 75 minutes of high-intensity exercise per week. This can include brisk walking, jogging, cycling, or swimming. [5]

In addition to regular exercise, it's important to create a comfortable sleep environment and maintain a healthy sleep routine. Create a relaxing and distraction-free atmosphere in your bedroom, avoid excessive noise, and create a cool and dark room.

It's also important to develop a consistent sleep schedule by waking up and going to bed at the same time every day, including on the weekends. You don't want to suffer from social jet lag. Regulating your body's internal clock can help promote a more consistent sleep-wake cycle.

Lastly, keep an eye on how much caffeine and alcohol you consume. These can really affect how well you sleep. Try to avoid caffeine later in the day since it can make it difficult for some individuals to fall asleep.

And even though a drink might make you feel tired at first, alcohol can actually break up your sleep later in the night, leaving you feeling less rested.

The Benefits of Exercise on Sleep

The role of exercise in treating sleep disorders is how physical activity improves sleep, reducing the severity of conditions.

Improved Sleep Quality and Duration

Medical research has revealed that exercise training can significantly influence the quality of deep sleep. [6] Deep sleep is a crucial stage of sleep that plays a vital role in physical restoration, healing, and boosting the immune system.

When an individual has enough deep sleep, their body is better equipped to fight infections and diseases. Deep sleep can also significantly benefit people with sleep disorders like insomnia by improving the quality of their sleep and alleviating symptoms.

Regulates Sleep-Wake Cycle

Maintaining a regular routine can positively impact your circadian rhythm, which is essentially your body's internal clock that regulates your sleep-wake cycle.

When your circadian rhythm is working properly, you tend to feel more alert and awake during the day while also feeling tired at night, ready for bed. However, many struggle with circadian rhythm disorders, which can disrupt this natural cycle.

Committing to regular aerobic and physical exercise can help regulate your circadian rhythm and improve its effectiveness. This can be particularly helpful for individuals with sleep disorders, as it can help them manage their sleep patterns and enhance their overall quality of life.

If you're interested in learning more about other sleep disturbances and how they might affect you, read our blog: Common Sleep Disorders: Causes, Symptoms & Treatments.

Reduces Stress and Anxiety

Exercise not only boosts overall health and daily energy levels but also offers direct benefits in managing stress and anxiety. Physical activities such as tennis, pickleball, walking, or hiking elevate endorphins, the brain's feel-good neurotransmitters, providing a sense of well-being often described as a 'runner's high.'

Physical Exercise relieves stress by simulating the 'fight or flight' response. It helps your body's systems coordinate in handling stress and benefits your cardiovascular, digestive, and immune systems.

Plus, activities like racquetball or swimming can be a form of meditation in motion, allowing you to focus solely on the activity and shed daily tension. This focus can lead to increased calmness and clarity in other aspects of life.

Studies have found that regular activities enhance mood, increase self-confidence, and reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety [7]. It also improves sleep, which is often affected by stress, providing a greater sense of control over one's body and life.

Reduces Sleep Onset Latency

For those who struggle with falling asleep, exercise can reduce the amount of time it takes to fall asleep, known as sleep onset latency.

Read More: How to Fall Asleep Faster with 10 Proven Strategies

Improves Sleep Apnea Symptoms

Studies suggest that creating a regular exercise routine can help individuals with sleep apnea. [8] When people with this condition start working out, especially doing activities that build muscle and help with weight loss, their breathing patterns often improve, and their symptoms lessen.

This improvement is likely because it strengthens various muscles in the body, including those in the upper airway. These muscles can sometimes get a bit too relaxed and collapse during sleep, causing breathing troubles.

A 2021 review suggests that regular physical activity can improve sleep patterns in adults with insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea. [9]

Alleviates Restless Legs Syndrome

Moderate aerobic activities can actually help ease the symptoms of Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS). Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) is a sleep disorder characterized by an irresistible urge to move one's legs, often resulting in discomfort or disruption of sleep. Engaging in regular aerobic exercise can significantly alleviate symptoms.

Is It Bad to Exercise Before Bed?

Throughout the years, there has been much debate about whether exercising before bedtime affects sleep quality. According to traditional sleep hygiene, engaging in intense physical activity during the three hours before sleep can have a negative impact on sleep, as it can increase heart rate, body temperature, and adrenaline levels.

This can make it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep throughout the night. However, some studies suggest that engaging in physical exercise before bed may not negatively affect sleep quality. [10]

Despite the conflicting information, avoiding strenuous physical activities close to bedtime is generally recommended to promote quality sleep.

Best Times to Exercise

Is it better to exercise in the morning or evening for a good night’s sleep? That's the million-dollar question and is quite common among fitness enthusiasts and sleep-seekers alike. We'll explore how different workout times can impact your sleep quality and discover which is best for you.

Evening Exercise

While exercise has numerous benefits for sleep, the timing of your workouts can influence their impact on sleep quality. Generally, it is recommended to avoid vigorous exercise close to bedtime, as it can increase alertness and make it more challenging to fall asleep.

However, this can vary from person to person, and some individuals may find that late-evening workouts do not affect their sleep.

For most people, the best time for vigorous physical activity for optimal sleep is in the late afternoon or early evening.

Engaging in moderate-intensity exercise during this time can help regulate the body's temperature, which naturally drops in the evening, signaling the onset of sleep. This drop in core body temperature after exercise can promote a more restful and deeper sleep.

Researchers have found that higher core temperature due to intense workouts too close to bedtime can lead to lower sleep efficiency and more time awake after sleep onset. [11]

Morning Exercise

Morning exercise affects your heart rate differently than in the evening. Studies have shown that it increases low-frequency and high-frequency heart rate activity. This balance promotes calm and relaxation during sleep by increasing parasympathetic activity in the central nervous system.

Studies have shown that morning exercise promotes better sleep quality compared to evening exercise. The increase in heart rate following evening exercise is believed to stimulate the sympathetic nervous system. [12] This activation can lead to feelings of stress and a 'fight or flight' response.

Exercising earlier in the day promotes relaxation before sleep by giving the body enough time to calm down and activate the parasympathetic nervous system (the ‘rest and digest’ response). Therefore, morning exercise is believed to produce more restful sleep compared to evening exercise.

It is important to listen to your body and find a workout routine that suits your individual needs and preferences. If you find that exercising too close to bedtime affects your sleep, consider adjusting your workout schedule to allow for a few hours of wind-down time before bed.

Final Thought

Moderate aerobic exercise and sleep are interconnected, with regular physical activity playing a significant role in improving sleep quality. By engaging in exercise, you can reduce the time it takes to fall asleep, increase the duration of deep sleep, and alleviate symptoms of insomnia.

While the best time to exercise for optimal sleep benefits is generally in the late afternoon or early evening, it is important to listen to your body and find a full exercise routine that works for you. By establishing healthy exercise and sleep habits, you can enjoy the benefits of both a physically active lifestyle and a restful night's sleep.