Can You Exercise to Sleep Better?
Get-Fit Guy fans have long known that sleep can help you stay fit. But new research sheds light on how you can further utilize sleep to keep yourself healthy. Read on to find out more.
A recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine revealed that exercise can indeed not only help you sleep better, but can also improve your overall mood and vitality!
Of course, this probably doesn’t come as a surprise to you since we’ve often talked about how sleep can make you fit.
What may come as a surprise is that:
A) The effects are definitely not immediate. If you have insomnia, after implementing an exercise program it still may take you up to 16 weeks until you begin to notice significant long-term improvements.
B) Consistency is key. Rather than just a random, “marathon-esque” workout thrown in every week or so, you’ll get much better sleep enhancing results from 30 minutes of exercises performed several times each week (or preferably, every day).
Another interesting finding from the study was the vice-versa relationship – in other words, a poor night’s sleep makes exercise seem much harder the next day.
So exercise to sleep, sleep to exercise – and be consistent! If you need more sleep tips, I’d highly recommend you click here to read my comprehensive article on how to get better sleep.
If you have more questions about the relationship between exercise and sleep, then join the conversation at Facebook.com/GetFitGuy!
Sleeping man image courtesy of Shutterstock.
About the Author
Ben Greenfield received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from University of Idaho in sports science and exercise physiology; personal training and strength and conditioning certifications from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA); a sports nutrition certification from the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN), an advanced bicycle fitting certification from Serotta. He has over 11 years’ experience in coaching professional, collegiate, and recreational athletes from all sports, and as helped hundreds of clients achieve weight loss and fitness success.
