While exercise is known to lead to good benefits for the body, is it a good idea to do it before going to bed? Will exercising before bedtime increase or decrease sleep quality?
Exercising Before Bedtime
Though it has been a long-standing belief that exercising before bed may affect sleep quality, studies have seen that one can enjoy exercising before bed without any sleep compromises. The key for this lies in the type and intensity of the exercise as well as in the exact timing of the exercise.
As part of a small study in 2020, 12 healthy men went to the lab on three nights wherein they did 30 minutes of aerobic exercise with moderate intensity, 30 minutes of resistance training with moderate intensity, or did not engage with any exercise at all. Each period stopped 90 minutes before they went to bed.
The participants all slept inside the lab, where researchers gauged their sleep quality and core body temperature. The scientists then found that evening workouts of moderate intensity did not generally affect the sleep of participants.
Another study from 2020 also yielded similar findings. Sixteen women and men did moderate intensity exercises at varying times. This included 2 or 4 hours pre-bedtime. The scientists then observed that in this case, exercising at night did not affect the sleep of the participants.
A 2019 review also looked into 23 evening exercise and sleep studies. The review found that working out during the night can boost sleep as long as the intensity was moderate and as long as the exercise stopped over an hour before going to bed.
Choose the Right Exercise and Timing
Different exercises affect sleep differently. Hence, for those who are looking into evening workouts, it is important to choose the right exercise and to consider the timing of the exercise.
Generally, it is better to do moderate or light-intensity exercise during the night. These activity levels can boost sleep quality and help one sleep faster. Examples of such activities include walking, stretching, yoga, leisure biking, leisure swimming, and light to moderate weightlifting.
Around 30 minutes of aerobic activity with moderate intensity during daytime or evening can improve sleep quality. Nevertheless, exercising regularly can also yield sleep benefits. For those opting for moderate-intensity workouts, 150 minutes a week of doing so is a good goal. For those who prefer more vigorous exercises, at least 75 minutes a week is good as long as it is done way before bed time.
That said, it is important to avoid vigorous workouts at night. Such inense and vigorous exercises can raise heart rate and stimulate the nervous system. This, in turn, may make it hard for one to fall asleep during the night. Exercises with vigorous intensity include running, high-intensity interval training, jumping rope, swimming laps, heavy weightlifting, and competitive cycling.
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