Exercise can help you sleep
There’s a reason that we send children out to run around, right? Because they burn off energy and it tires them out. It stands to reason that the same thing applies to us as grown-ups.
I am not a fitness guru by any stretch, nor am I a faithful adherent, for that matter. I try to move my body every day, but it’s usually a walk outside in good weather, or a 20-minute easy yoga/stretching program on other days. On occasion, I do a more involved home yoga practice or dance around with the Fitness Marshall. Just so you know where I am personally coming from.
Image by Zen Bear Yoga at Unsplash
I’m not going to tell you what kind of exercise to do or any of that, since it’s not my bailiwick, and also? You are a grownass person who can figure that stuff out for yourself. If you love to run, do it. If weights are your thing, go for it. If you want to do Pilates or yoga or tai chi or tae kwon do or Peloton or whatever, DO IT.
I had to laugh at a Johns Hopkins report that says they can’t explain WHY exercise helps you sleep better. I guess that means science isn’t willing to accept simple logic: burning off energy is good for you. Not only can you get rid of stress by exercising, but you can clear your mind.
And then there’s the issue of chemical balance in the body, as you release more feel-good energy if you do certain types of exercise. (See also, sex before bed.) Your body releases endorphins during exercise, and, if you are doing moderate aerobic exercise, your core body temperature goes up (which is how you burn calories). That later decrease in core body temperature contributes to better sleep. (See also, baths before bed.)
What they can measure is something like “slow wave sleep”, which is the deeper phase of sleep. Turns out you get more of it when you’ve engaged in moderate aerobic exercise. Thirty minutes of moderate aerobic exercise (anything that raises your heart rate, so it can include yoga and walking and such, not just what we think of as aerobics) is enough to do the trick.
There are a few variables to take into account when it comes to exercise.
One is the time of day. For some people, it doesn’t matter. For others, exercising too close to bedtime leaves them revved and unable to fall asleep quickly. If exercising in the evening messes with you, back it up a bit to do it earlier in the day.
Another variable is how much exercise you get. That “30 minute moderate activity” guideline is aiming for a sweet spot of getting enough movement or exercise to be beneficial to your overall health. People who go gonzo and overtrain by exerting more than moderate activity, especially if it is for longer time periods, can find it causes insomnia.
I know a woman who does massive amounts of cardio pretty much daily, with weights a few times a week, and while she has lots of energy during the day (oh my god, y’all, she is so! hyped! all! the! time!), I wouldn’t be surprised if she has issues sleeping well. She is pretty much always ON.
So if sleep is your goal, rather than going all-out, aim for that mid-range exercise sweet spot for a few days in a row and see if it helps you sleep. (For sure it should help your stress levels to decrease a bit, at least.)
in closing
I hope that all these posts on getting better sleep help. I will be scooping them all up and adding a bit of extra to them and offering them as an e-book in the near future, if that’s something you are interested in.
If you think you’d like some personal coaching just now, please get in touch for a free half-hour consultation to see if working with me as your coach might help.
Sweet dreams!
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