Here’s Why You Should Exercise At Night For Better Sleep
We all know by now that if we get in some exercise during the day, you will sleep better at night. There’s something about all that daytime movement that lulls…
Personal trainer controlling and showing sportswoman how to do lunges correctly while kneeling in gym, side view
We all know by now that if we get in some exercise during the day, you will sleep better at night. There's something about all that daytime movement that lulls us to sleep at night a lot easier than if we didn't move during the day. However, what if you didn't get in any exercise during your day for whatever reason? Can you still get the benefits of "working out" by trying to make up for it at night?
The answer appears to be a resounding yes. A study from the University of Otago in New Zealand found that doing some light exercise before bed can help you sleep in longer the next day.
The good news is, you don't need to work up a sweat in order to get the results you're looking for. All you have to do is a few easy to do exercises every 30 minutes. Consider doing squats, calf splints, maybe a couple of crunches and even a push up or two.
Small bites of exercise will do the trick
The good news is, you only need to do small doses of these for 3 or 4 minutes every half hour. That means you can take a break in between and not have to get too worked up. The idea is to try to get these mini sets to add up to around 24 minutes over a 4 hour period. That means if you start around 6pm you should be able to get enough in by 10pm bedtime.
On average, participants in the study who moved around in the evening slept 27 minutes MORE than when they stayed glued to the couch. They went to bed at the same time, but woke up later.
This doesn't mean you should just do a 30 minute workout before bed instead of doing the micro workouts because you don't want to get your blood flowing so much that you won't be able to sleep.
And the best part is you don't need a gym. The exercises were designed so you can do them in your living room without missing your favorite show. Even walking around the house or dancing counts. Any movement is better than just sitting on your couch.
Try it tonight and see if you too sleep better. Even if you don't notice getting more sleep, at least you're getting in some very important movement. And that is always good for you no matter what.
(NY Post)
