How Exercise Helps you Sleep

How Exercise Helps you Sleep

There are a lot of benefits to getting enough sleep each night. From greater focus and improved memory to better health and less pain, there are many reasons to make sure that you get enough sleep each night. But did you know that exercise can help you sleep?

Not only does regular exercise reduce stress, improve physical performance, lower the risk of disease and improve your state of mind, but it also improves sleep quality.

Researchers who have conducted studies on sleep and exercise have found that those who participate in regular exercise during the day also report improve sleep at night. These people also reported that they felt happier, had more energy and they that were less tired during the daytime. This is important since people who have more energy are more likely to want to exercise. Therefore, exercising regularly helps you sleep at night, which helps you exercise, which helps you sleep, etc. As you can see, this is a good cycle to get on.

The reason why exercise helps sleep is generally quite simple: When you exercise, you fatigue your body and mind, which allows you to sleep more soundly. Exercise also reduces stress. This is important since stress is a big reason why many people don’t sleep well at night.

As for what time you should exercise, that depends on a few factors, including your personal routine. However, most experts agree that working out within a few hours of bedtime can actually make it more difficult to sleep well at night, while working out in the morning or afternoon has sleep benefits. It may take some trial and error to figure out when you should exercise to see the greatest sleep benefit.

In addition to exercise, here are a few other things you should try if you’re having trouble sleeping:

• Watch what you eat. Eating a healthy diet can lead to a better sleep. However, going to bed hungry or stuffed can both cause issues. So can eating too close to bedtime. You may want to avoid caffeine, alcohol and nicotine in the hours before you want to fall asleep.
• Have a routine. Setting a sleep schedule and sticking to it can help improve your sleep. So can creating a ritual that you do every night before bed.
• Avoid screens. The light from cell phones, tablets, laptops and TVs can make it difficult to fall asleep. Avoid these screens in the two or three hours before bed.
• Your bed is for sleep. Avoid working, eating, reading or watching TV in bed. This can make it more difficult to fall asleep at night.