• TRENDING
  • Fitness
  • Healthcare
  • Lifestyle
  • Nutrition
  • Shopping
  • Nutrition
  • Life / Sports
  • healthifyme
  • International
  • Nutrition Facts

Clean Fuel Habit

SUBSCRIBE
  • Fitness
    FitnessShow More
    the-best-smith-machine-for-your-home-gym-in-2025-–-breaking-muscle
    The Best Smith Machine for Your Home Gym in 2025 – Breaking Muscle
    March 4, 2025
    strongest-pre-workout:-the-best-high-stim-picks-of-2025-–-breaking-muscle
    Strongest Pre-Workout: The Best High-Stim Picks of 2025 – Breaking Muscle
    March 3, 2025
    best-creatine-for-men-of-2025-–-breaking-muscle
    Best Creatine for Men of 2025 – Breaking Muscle
    March 3, 2025
    best-elliptical-machines-of-2025,-reviewed-by-fitness-experts-–-breaking-muscle
    Best Elliptical Machines of 2025, Reviewed by Fitness Experts – Breaking Muscle
    February 7, 2025
    the-best-power-rack-of-2025,-according-to-a-personal-trainer-–-breaking-muscle
    The Best Power Rack of 2025, According to a Personal Trainer – Breaking Muscle
    February 7, 2025
  • Healthcare
    HealthcareShow More
    what’s-better-for-your-butt:-squats-or-deadlifts?
    What’s Better for Your Butt: Squats or Deadlifts?
    June 4, 2025
    tired-of-sambas?-these-adidas-sneakers-are-the-perfect-alternative
    Tired of Sambas? These Adidas Sneakers Are the Perfect Alternative
    June 2, 2025
    12-standing-core-exercises-that-will-fire-up-your-abs
    12 Standing Core Exercises That Will Fire Up Your Abs
    June 2, 2025
    when-it-comes-to-strong-arms,-nothing-beats-kettlebells
    When It Comes to Strong Arms, Nothing Beats Kettlebells
    May 29, 2025
    No, You Might Not Want to Do 100 Kettlebell Swings a Day—but Here’s How to Crush a Single Really Good One
    May 16, 2025
  • Lifestyle
    LifestyleShow More
    proximamente-el-10-de-junio-:-25-minute-speed-train-de-joel-freeman
    Próximamente el 10 de junio : 25 Minute Speed Train de Joel Freeman
    May 27, 2025
    a-venir-le-10-juin-:-25-minute-speed-train-de-joel-freeman
    À venir le 10 juin : 25 Minute Speed Train de Joel Freeman
    May 27, 2025
    coming-june-10th:-25-minute-speed-train-by-joel-freeman
    Coming June 10th: 25 Minute Speed Train by Joel Freeman
    May 27, 2025
    introducing-the-bodi-experience-community:-a-new-way-to-connect,-stay-motivated,-and-thrive
    Introducing the BODi Experience Community: A New Way to Connect, Stay Motivated, and Thrive
    May 19, 2025
    do-you-know-the-4-types-of-body-fat?
    Do You Know the 4 Types of Body Fat?
    April 16, 2025
  • Nutrition
    NutritionShow More
    do-probiotics-help-you-lose-weight?-find-out-now
    Do Probiotics Help You Lose Weight? Find Out Now
    May 9, 2025
    how-to-talk-to-your-doctor-about-glp-1s:-a-conversation-guide
    How To Talk To Your Doctor About GLP-1s: A Conversation Guide
    May 8, 2025
    fat-burning-supplements-for-men:-hype-or-effective-solution?
    Fat Burning Supplements For Men: Hype Or Effective Solution?
    May 8, 2025
    body-fat-scale:-are-smart-scales-the-smarter-way-to-measure-health?
    Body Fat Scale: Are Smart Scales The Smarter Way To Measure Health?
    May 7, 2025
    best-snack-for-weight-loss:-smart-choices-for-success
    Best Snack For Weight Loss: Smart Choices For Success
    May 6, 2025
  • Privacy Policy
Reading: Exercise Might Be the Natural Sleep Aid You’re Seriously Overlooking
Share
  • TRENDING
  • Fitness
  • Healthcare
  • Lifestyle
  • Nutrition
  • Shopping
  • Nutrition
  • Life / Sports
  • healthifyme
  • International
  • Nutrition Facts

Clean Fuel Habit

SUBSCRIBE
  • Fitness
    FitnessShow More
    the-best-smith-machine-for-your-home-gym-in-2025-–-breaking-muscle
    The Best Smith Machine for Your Home Gym in 2025 – Breaking Muscle
    March 4, 2025
    strongest-pre-workout:-the-best-high-stim-picks-of-2025-–-breaking-muscle
    Strongest Pre-Workout: The Best High-Stim Picks of 2025 – Breaking Muscle
    March 3, 2025
    best-creatine-for-men-of-2025-–-breaking-muscle
    Best Creatine for Men of 2025 – Breaking Muscle
    March 3, 2025
    best-elliptical-machines-of-2025,-reviewed-by-fitness-experts-–-breaking-muscle
    Best Elliptical Machines of 2025, Reviewed by Fitness Experts – Breaking Muscle
    February 7, 2025
    the-best-power-rack-of-2025,-according-to-a-personal-trainer-–-breaking-muscle
    The Best Power Rack of 2025, According to a Personal Trainer – Breaking Muscle
    February 7, 2025
  • Healthcare
    HealthcareShow More
    what’s-better-for-your-butt:-squats-or-deadlifts?
    What’s Better for Your Butt: Squats or Deadlifts?
    June 4, 2025
    tired-of-sambas?-these-adidas-sneakers-are-the-perfect-alternative
    Tired of Sambas? These Adidas Sneakers Are the Perfect Alternative
    June 2, 2025
    12-standing-core-exercises-that-will-fire-up-your-abs
    12 Standing Core Exercises That Will Fire Up Your Abs
    June 2, 2025
    when-it-comes-to-strong-arms,-nothing-beats-kettlebells
    When It Comes to Strong Arms, Nothing Beats Kettlebells
    May 29, 2025
    No, You Might Not Want to Do 100 Kettlebell Swings a Day—but Here’s How to Crush a Single Really Good One
    May 16, 2025
  • Lifestyle
    LifestyleShow More
    proximamente-el-10-de-junio-:-25-minute-speed-train-de-joel-freeman
    Próximamente el 10 de junio : 25 Minute Speed Train de Joel Freeman
    May 27, 2025
    a-venir-le-10-juin-:-25-minute-speed-train-de-joel-freeman
    À venir le 10 juin : 25 Minute Speed Train de Joel Freeman
    May 27, 2025
    coming-june-10th:-25-minute-speed-train-by-joel-freeman
    Coming June 10th: 25 Minute Speed Train by Joel Freeman
    May 27, 2025
    introducing-the-bodi-experience-community:-a-new-way-to-connect,-stay-motivated,-and-thrive
    Introducing the BODi Experience Community: A New Way to Connect, Stay Motivated, and Thrive
    May 19, 2025
    do-you-know-the-4-types-of-body-fat?
    Do You Know the 4 Types of Body Fat?
    April 16, 2025
  • Nutrition
    NutritionShow More
    do-probiotics-help-you-lose-weight?-find-out-now
    Do Probiotics Help You Lose Weight? Find Out Now
    May 9, 2025
    how-to-talk-to-your-doctor-about-glp-1s:-a-conversation-guide
    How To Talk To Your Doctor About GLP-1s: A Conversation Guide
    May 8, 2025
    fat-burning-supplements-for-men:-hype-or-effective-solution?
    Fat Burning Supplements For Men: Hype Or Effective Solution?
    May 8, 2025
    body-fat-scale:-are-smart-scales-the-smarter-way-to-measure-health?
    Body Fat Scale: Are Smart Scales The Smarter Way To Measure Health?
    May 7, 2025
    best-snack-for-weight-loss:-smart-choices-for-success
    Best Snack For Weight Loss: Smart Choices For Success
    May 6, 2025
  • Privacy Policy
Reading: Exercise Might Be the Natural Sleep Aid You’re Seriously Overlooking
Share
  • Fitness
  • Healthcare
  • Lifestyle
  • Nutrition
  • Privacy Policy
Have an existing account? Sign In
© Foxiz News Network. Ruby Design Company. All Rights Reserved.
Clean Fuel Habit > Blog > Healthcare > Exercise Might Be the Natural Sleep Aid You’re Seriously Overlooking
Healthcare

Exercise Might Be the Natural Sleep Aid You’re Seriously Overlooking

Kayne Collins
Last updated: March 27, 2024 1:30 pm
Kayne Collins
Share
14 Min Read
exercise-might-be-the-natural-sleep-aid-you’re-seriously-overlooking
SHARE

All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.

By now, it’s one of the most commonly cited wellness stats out there: Sleep at least seven hours a night if you want to feel your best. But if you find yourself tossing and turning, you know all too well that getting to bed on time doesn’t always guarantee those hours will add up to restful slumber—even if you’ve tried every fall-asleep-fast hack out there, from blue-light glasses to relaxing bedtime routines.

But there’s another promising lifestyle habit that might help you conk out: exercise. While the fact that sleep benefits athletic performance is already well documented, evidence is also adding up that moving more—both as a single session and a regular practice—can improve your rest, making the two represent quite the virtuous two-way cycle. In fact, you may fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer, and sleep more deeply on the days when you work out, according to a 2015 meta-analysis published in the Journal of Behavioral Medicine. And all in all, exercise may just be a safe way to improve sleep for everyone, from pregnant people to older adults, a separate review concluded.

Want to make the most of your movement and your shuteye? Here’s what you need to know—and the best ways to put it all into practice.

There are a few reasons why working out might help you sleep.

Just as doctors aren’t really sure why some people toss and turn in the first place, they don’t definitively know why exercise helps the whole sleep process along. But they do have some solid theories that can help us understand what might be going on there.

For one, we know that people with anxiety and depression tend to report worse sleep—and we also have learned that physical activity can relieve some of those symptoms. So it makes sense that exercise might improve slumber by boosting mood, though there hasn’t yet been a definitive study to connect those dots, Christopher Kline, PhD, an associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh who’s extensively researched sleep and exercise, tells SELF.

Even a single workout might encourage your immune system to better balance out your cytokines, proteins that influence inflammation levels and may also help you sleep, he says. And over time, the benefits can add up.

Another factor Dr. Kline is studying involves temperature regulation. An hour or two before you fall asleep, your body temperature begins to decline, helping you to drift off. Many people with insomnia also have trouble adjusting their temperature, possibly because the part of your brain that regulates sleep-wake cycles is next to the one that controls thermoregulation, Dr. Kline says.

As anyone who’s sweated through a run, Pilates class, or strength routine can tell you, exercise heats you up. But it’s what comes after that’s key to solid sleep: “Once you stop exercising, the body has to find a way to get rid of that extra heat,” Dr. Kline says; it does this by dilating the blood vessels in your hands and feet so blood can get to your skin’s surface to cool. As a result, that single workout can lower your body temperature in the hours that follow, helping you sleep that evening.

The kicker? Over time, the cycle of efficiently heating up and cooling down may train your body to better adjust its internal thermostat, improving sleep even on days when you don’t work out, he says.

Finally, it’s also possible that the routine of exercise may play a role in shaping your habits and your circadian rhythm, the internal body clock that helps determine when you sleep and wake, Sara E. Benjamin, MD, medical director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Sleep and Wellness, tells SELF. As an early-morning exerciser, she’s experienced this in her own life: “The default for me is to roll out of bed and put on exercise clothes,” she says. “Getting up early to exercise before work means that I need to go to sleep early, so I structure my life as much as possible to allow for this.”

That means she says no to many evening meetings, limits computer time after dinner, and dims the lights in the bedroom as she winds down for the evening. All these steps regulate her circadian rhythms and promote restful slumber. It’s an approach that could work for others, too, she says: “If people make a habit of early morning exercise and that becomes the routine, it may help them to consistently fall asleep earlier than they would without that routine.”

If you have certain sleep disorders, there are even more reasons to try movement.

Some cases of insomnia do have specific causes—many of which seem to respond to physical activity. Take restless legs syndrome, which causes an often uncontrollable urge to move your lower extremities. Symptoms often worsen in the evening and can affect sleep, Dr. Benjamin says.

If you’re in that boat, cardio like walking or cycling may work as an alternative to medication. “People with restless legs tend to do best with a moderate, consistent exercise routine,” she says. “They will tell me that RLS is worse if they don’t exercise at all or when they overdo it one day.”

Another condition that exercise seems to improve is sleep apnea, which occurs when you stop breathing during sleep. Sleep apnea makes your nights less restful and your days drowsier, and can also lead to problems like heart failure, arrhythmias, and type 2 diabetes.

People who followed a 12-week program based on government guidelines for exercise (150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio a week, plus two days of strength training) lessened their sleep apnea severity by about 25%, according to a clinical trial Dr. Kline and his colleagues published in the journal Sleep in 2011. And in a follow-up published last year, folks who did three weekly high-intensity workouts cut their number of shallow or stopped breaths by an average of nine per hour.

Important note: While doctors often recommend weight loss as a treatment for sleep apnea, these studies showed no change in weight and still found that exercise reduced symptoms. Divorcing exercise from its weight loss implications helped many people in the studies form a more positive relationship with moving their bodies, Dr. Kline says.

There’s no one way to exercise for better sleep.

Right now, docs don’t yet know the exact amount and type of exercise that’s best if you want to sleep like a baby.

In general, aiming for the government guidelines is a worthwhile goal if you want to reap many of the health benefits of exercise, including better sleep, Dr. Kline says. But don’t stress if that feels like a lot: It’s likely that smaller amounts help, too. More research is needed—some of which is already underway—on whether simply being less sedentary improves sleep, as well as whether shorter or less frequent workouts can still have a positive effect.

It’s also a case of where more doesn’t equal better, either. It’s clear that there’s also a point of diminishing returns, Dr. Kline says. Disturbed sleep is one symptom of overtraining, so if you’re pushing your body too hard or ramping up your activity level too quickly, it can backfire when it comes to rest and recovery.

As for what types of workouts are best, the answer might just be: whichever you like! While many of the studies have focused on aerobic activities like walking and cycling, a 2018 review that looked at 13 studies featuring resistance training also found benefits of that for sleep quality. And mind-body forms of movement like yoga, qigong, and Tai chi also show promise.

When you do them probably matters, too. As SELF reported previously, the research on whether exercising at night can mess with sleep isn’t definitive, but there’s some evidence that intense workouts that end less than an hour before bed can indeed keep you up longer, perhaps by keeping your heart rate elevated or not allowing you to cool down quickly enough. So if late workouts are your only (or preferred) option and you have trouble sleeping afterward, you might want to try taking the intensity down a notch.

Also, make note of other factors around your workout that might make a difference—for example, light, which strongly influences circadian rhythms. Exercising in a well-lit gym at night could disrupt sleep, Dr. Benjamin says. Meanwhile, getting outdoors for a morning workout could make you drowsier at night, since exposure to sunlight first thing can keep your body clock better aligned.

And then there are the specific nuances that apply to your own body and lifestyle. “It can be trial and error for everyone to figure out how the timing and intensity of exercise affect their sleep,” she says. “Some gentle movements close to bedtime may be helpful, for example, if someone has a tight back. They may find that a gentle stretching or yoga routine helps them to sleep longer before their back bothers them when sleeping.” On the other hand, if you attend an evening running group, go for a few hard miles, and stay out afterward for a beer, the combination of intensity, evening light, and alcohol might make it harder to fall or stay asleep when you get home.

Consider exercise one way to try to solve your sleep issues.

When Dr. Benjamin is helping a patient get to the bottom of sleep problems and how to relieve them, workouts are one factor she considers. “I ask what type of exercise they enjoy and how they fit it into their day,” she says. Depending on what they’re currently doing and what they’re struggling with, she helps them fine-tune their routine—perhaps adding in movement if they’re not active now, or shifting the timing if they are.

If you’ve tried all that on your own and sleep struggles are interfering with your daytime activities or flat-out making you feel lousy more often than not, it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor. For one thing, there could be another underlying cause. Plus, treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy and medication have been proven effective for insomnia.

We don’t yet have research that puts exercise against these treatments, head to head, Dr. Kline says. But because exercise has so many other mental and physical benefits, it makes sense to give it a try, even if you’re also pursuing other solutions.

In fact, some research by Dr. Kline even suggests exercise offsets some of the negative health effects of poor sleep—so while it’s best to hit the hay and the gym, movement can benefit you even if you’re still finding it hard to nod off. Just keep in mind that if you’re not sleeping well, your recovery might be impaired—so take extra care to ramp up slowly.

Related:

  • How to Know If Your Body Needs Sleep or a Workout
  • 5 Bedtime Stretches That Will Help You Actually Get to Sleep
  • 33 Possible Reasons Why You Feel Tired All the Time

You Might Also Like

What’s Better for Your Butt: Squats or Deadlifts?

Tired of Sambas? These Adidas Sneakers Are the Perfect Alternative

12 Standing Core Exercises That Will Fire Up Your Abs

When It Comes to Strong Arms, Nothing Beats Kettlebells

Próximamente el 10 de junio : 25 Minute Speed Train de Joel Freeman

TAGGED:Fitness
Share This Article
Facebook Twitter Email Print
Leave a comment Leave a comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

New Releases

- Advertisement -
Ad image

Trending Stories

what-is-the-hard-return-on-employee-wellness-programs?-|-roi-&-benefits
Nutrition

What Is The Hard Return On Employee Wellness Programs? | ROI & Benefits

September 26, 2024
the-best-adjustable-dumbbells-for-extra-efficient-home-workouts
Healthcare

The Best Adjustable Dumbbells for Extra-Efficient Home Workouts

September 16, 2024
12-women’s-sports-documentaries-you’ll-want-to-stream-immediately
Healthcare

12 Women’s Sports Documentaries You’ll Want to Stream Immediately

March 20, 2024
13-comfy,-supportive-walking-shoes-for-flat-feet
Healthcare

13 Comfy, Supportive Walking Shoes for Flat Feet

September 16, 2024
how-to-do-child's-pose-in-yoga-(balasana)
Lifestyle

How to Do Child's Pose in Yoga (Balasana)

March 26, 2024
mitchell-hooper-tackles-arnold-schwarzenegger’s-brutal-back-and-biceps-workout-–-breaking-muscle
Fitness

Mitchell Hooper Tackles Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Brutal Back and Biceps Workout – Breaking Muscle

November 27, 2023

Follow US on Social Media

The following Terms and Conditions govern the use of Clean Fuel Habit and are in place to protect everyone who uses the website. Health Fuel Zone d.o.o owner of Clean Fuel Habit has the right to revise and update these Terms and Conditions at any time without prior notification; therefore, you should visit this page periodically to review these Terms of Use including the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy of our owner Health Fuel Zone d.o.o.

Clean Fuel Habit

2024 © Proudly powered by Health Fuel Zone d.o.o. All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?