Exercise and sleep are intertwined in many ways. They share similar benefits such as reducing stress, preventing cardiovascular disease, and promoting healthy body weight. A popular myth is that these two activities are mutually exclusive, especially in the evenings. In other words, many consider moderate physical activity, such as jogging and swimming, in the evenings as a detriment to sleep quality because their bodies are still in a high-energy state, which can inhibit sleep. However, according to Christina Spengler, head of the Exercise Physiology Lab at ETH Zurich, it’s actually the opposite.
Spengler and her research team analyzed 23 studies linking exercise to sleep. They discovered that moderate exercise four hours before bedtime does not disrupt sleep. In fact, it actually improved deep sleep, which is an important type of sleep that promotes tissue repair and energy restoration. They determined that people who exercised stayed in deep sleep for a longer percentage of their sleeping time, 21.2% compared to 19.9% for those who did not. Spengler stresses that even though this percentage seems minuscule, it is statistically significant, meaning the results are unlikely due to chance.
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However, there is an exception to the rule: vigorous exercise shortly before bedtime. Examples of vigorous exercises are high-intensity sprints or weightlifting, which induce heavy breathing and an inability of speech. The researchers concluded that the participants required longer times to fall asleep because they were heavily breathing; furthermore, they had heart rates 20 beats per minute faster than at rest. Because of these reasons, one should avoid vigorous activity in the evening.
The Department of Health and Human Services recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week. Spengler assured people that the evening is a good time for moderate activity as it will not cause sleep problems. If there is not enough time in the day to exercise, don’t use sleep as an excuse to avoid exercise!
Feature Image Source: Inti St. Clair – stock.adobe.com
