Want Better Sleep? This One Piece of Advice Seems to Work For Almost Everybody

People don't get enough sleep. Poor sleep can have a negative effect on our health and wellbeing over the long term.

Taking a hot bath in the evening is one way to get a better night's sleep.

One of the best ways to get a good night's sleep is to exercise. This is good advice according to research.

A meta-analysis from 2015, which looked at all the current research on sleep quality, duration, and exercise, showed that both short term and regular exercise can lead to better sleep.

It's possible that even a single bout of exercise can improve sleep quality.

The types of exercise that can improve sleep are shown in research. Aerobic exercise can help people fall asleep quicker, wake up less during the night and feel more rested the following morning.

It was true for many different types of aerobic exercise.

Aerobic exercise can improve multiple aspects of sleep, but not as much as regular aerobic exercise.

It was shown to improve sleep duration, decrease the time it takes to sleep, and increase sleep efficiency. Better sleep quality is determined by sleep efficiency.

Resistance exercise and its effects on sleep are more limited. Resistance exercise may be able to improve sleep according to a small number of studies.

People who do resistance exercise frequently have better sleep quality. Even if you think you have good quality sleep, it can affect your performance.

People with insomnia may benefit from regular resistance training. There is very little research in this area so we need to be careful.

The good news is that the benefits of exercise for sleep seem to work for everyone, even if you have a sleep disorder.

The influence of exercise

Scientists still don't know how exercise works to improve sleep, despite the fact that it can.

The internal clock in our body regulates our sleep-wake cycle.

melatonin is released in the evening in order to help us sleep. Exercise during the day can lead to an earlier release of melatonin, which can cause people to fall asleep quicker.

Core body temperature is raised by exercise. Our core body temperature goes back to normal after a workout.

A drop in core body temperature can make us sleepy. It's possible that evening exercise can help some people sleep better.

Exercise can lead to better sleep because of its positive effects on mood and mental health. The body releases chemicals when it exercises, which make it feel better.

Depression and anxiety can be reduced by regular exercise. The positive effect of exercise on mood and mental health may make it easier to sleep.

It's clear that exercise can be beneficial for sleep, although more research is needed to understand why different types of exercise affect different parts of our sleep.

30-60 minutes of exercise a day can help you fall asleep faster, stay asleep during the night and wake up feeling more rested the next day.

Working out regularly is likely to give you even greater improvements to your sleep.

Since so many types of exercise are linked with improving sleep, all you have to do is choose a workout you enjoy, whether that's running, swimming, lifting weights, or just going for a brisk walk.

The lecturer in exercise, nutrition and health is Emma Sweeney.

Under a Creative Commons license, this article is re-posted. The original article is worth a read.