The new secret to restful sleep: change the intensity of your physical activity in the evening

The importance of sleep for overall health cannot be overstated - it improves mood, boosts energy, and reduces the risk of disease, to name just a few of the benefits. However, many people find it difficult to achieve restful sleep at night.

In fact, numerous surveys show that almost 40% of people aged 45 to 64 don't get enough sleep.

OBOZ tells what strategy to follow to make your sleep calm and uninterrupted.

An effective method to improve sleep duration

This method involves including short breaks for strength training in the evening.

A small study conducted by researchers at the University of Otago in New Zealand examined the effects of regular three-minute sets of bodyweight exercises every 30 minutes over a four-hour period in the evening.

28 women aged 18 to 40 who were sedentary wore activity monitors.

The results were convincing: the participants slept an average of 27.7 minutes longer when they took regular exercise breaks compared to when they sat without breaks. In addition, there were no significant differences in sleep efficiency or number of awakenings, suggesting that the short exercise sessions did not disrupt other aspects of sleep quality.

The result surprised many

"Given current sleep hygiene guidelines, we were surprised to see such a positive effect on sleep," said lead author Jennifer Gale, a doctoral student in human nutrition at the University of Otago.

According to Gale, most traditional sleep hygiene advice discourages longer periods of intense exercise before bed because it can increase body temperature and heart rate, which is widely believed to negatively impact sleep quality.

However, a recent study casts doubt on this notion. Its authors suggest that it's more about doing the right kinds of exercise at the right time that improves sleep, not the other way around.

Exercise before bed should be light and short

The short duration and low intensity of the study's exercises means they are less likely to raise body temperature and heart rate to levels that could potentially interfere with sleep.

Dr. Raj Dasgupta, an assistant professor of clinical medicine at Huntington Health in California, emphasized the importance of keeping exercise short and not too intense so that it can help you sleep better without making you too energetic at bedtime.

According to Dasgupta, this approach can be especially helpful for those "who spend a lot of time sitting, offering a simple way to combat a sedentary lifestyle without making significant changes."

Gail and her team are now conducting a follow-up pilot study to explore how best to support people in performing the right sleep-enhancing exercises at regular intervals in the evening in a real-world setting.

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