If you’ve ever gone from working out moderately, perhaps 2 times a week, to an amped up intense schedule of 4 times a week, you may have noticed a change in your sleep patterns. Currently, researchers and scientists are in hot debate over how sleep affects exercise and vise-versa, with many saying that it’s how you sleep that has the greatest impact on your workout performance and not the other way around.
But regardless of which way we draw the correlation, the fact remains that a connection exists. Below are 4 ways that exercise and sleep are linked, along with 4 methods for making sure you stay active and get enough Zzzs. Sleep smart, and sleep well!
Too Hot to Handle
Believe it or not, body temperature and sleep are intricately connected says Discovery Fit & Health. Apparently, our body temperature dropping is a prime signal for sleep and regularly exercise helps to regulate our temperature fluctuations.
“20 or 30 minutes of aerobic exercise is sufficient to keep the body temperature at a higher level for a period of four to five hours, after which it drops lower than if you hadn’t exercised. This lower body temperature is what helps you sleep better. So if you exercise five to six hours before going to bed, you will be attempting to sleep at the same time your temperature is beginning to go down.”
Tip: Though some research suggests exercising in the morning, give an evening workout a try 2 times a week if you’re having trouble sleeping. It might just help you catch some Zzz’s for the above reasons.
Cut the Stress
Exercise is also shown to reduce your stress levels and improve your overall mood throughout the day (particularly morning work outs). Since stress is also linked to sleep issues and disorders, reducing the amount of felt stress in your body and life through exercise may help you get a better nights sleep.
Tip: Have trouble making it to the gym more than a couple of times a week? That’s okay. Try going for a brisk jog during your lunch break, taking a walk around your neighborhood with the pup, or doing some yoga in your living room. We don’t have to physically be in a gym to be active and healthy.
Pep in Your Step
Because sleeping well has the cyclical affect of giving you more energy, researchers have discovered that people who get quality sleep are more likely to want to work out and maintain workout routines.
Tip: If you know you’ve got a long hike or strenuous weightlighting session coming up, make it a point to tack on an extra hour to your normal sleep schedule. Instead of your regular 6 hours (which typically isn’t enough, by the way) try for 7 or that coveted 8. Not sure where that extra hour will come from? Try ditching TV or playing on Facebook for the night. We bet you can find an extra hour in their somewhere. Wink, wink.
Quality AND Quantity
You may have friends or loved ones who claim that 4 or 5 hours of sleep each night is enough for them and, while everyone is different, we’d like to agreeably differ. Often times, we seek quality over quantity but, with sleep, you need both. Luckily, exercise is proven to improve both the quality of your sleep as well as how long you can sleep. What happens when you improve these two important aspects of your sleep? You experience more vitality, less depression, and less drowsiness during your active hours.
Tip: Enlist the help of roommates or your significant other to hold you accountable for getting to the gym and getting to bed at a reasonable hour.
