Is Evening Exercise Disrupting Your Sleep?
Exercising in the evenings can have great benefits for your health, but it could be interfering with your quality of sleep. It can be difficult to ensure that your evening exercise does not impact your sleep in a negative way. Read on to find out more about the effects of exercise on sleep.
Exercise can help reduce stress and also boost your mood. When you exercise during the day, you can find exercise can actually help you to sleep better. However, exercising too close to your bedtime can negatively impact your sleep by raising your body temperature, stimulating your body and making it difficult to get your heart rate down enough to allow you to sleep.
Too much evening exercise can lead to feeling more alert and energised, therefore it can be hard to feel ready for sleep by the time that you go to bed. Too little exercise can also lead to poorer sleep, so it is important to find the right balance for you.
How to ensure exercise in the evening does not negate sleep?
It is important to be mindful of when you exercise and the type of exercise that you do if you wish to avoid disrupting your sleep. Consider getting out in the morning for a run or a cycle ride to help you wake up and get going for the day. Short, gentle exercises like yoga or a walk can be better for the evenings. High-intensity workouts, such as HIIT, should be avoided closer to your bedtime.
Be sure to allow enough time for your heartrate and body temperature to return to normal before you go to sleep. You may need to adjust the type or amount of exercise if it is having an adverse effect on your sleep. Some people also find that too much exercise can leave them feeling tense or restless, even days after the workout took place.
How to fit exercise in to your day?
It can be difficult to juggle exercise and work commitments, as well as making time for socialising and relaxing. Ensure that you make time each day to comfortably fit exercise in. If you are busy and you find it hard to fit exercise in then HIIT and more time-efficient exercises can be suitable.
However, HIIT can be more intense and drain your energy more easily, which can be a problem if it is done later in the day. For more relaxation and lower intensity exercises like yoga, it is best to find time earlier in the day or in the evenings so it does not have an adverse effect on your sleep.
Steps like taking some time to meditate and relax after exercise can help you to wind down afterwards. Getting into a evening routine before bed can also help to signal to your body that it is time to go to sleep.
Exercising in the evening:
- Be mindful of the type and intensity of the exercise
- Be mindful of the time of day in relation to bedtime
- Consider exercise type to fit in with available time
- Incorporate relaxation and winding down after exercise
- Adopt an evening routine before bed
Conclusion
Exercising in the evening has great potential to benefit your overall health, but it is important to consider how it affects your sleep. If you find that your exercise habits are impacting your sleep, make adjustments in the type, intensity, and timing of your workouts. Make sure to give your body time to wind down and relax before going to sleep.