Exercise and Sleep

STOP THE PRESSES!  News flash!  Film at 11!  Did you know that the amount of physical exercise that you exert during the day is one of the key ingredients to helping you get a good sleep at night?  The more active your body is during the day, the more likely you are to relax at night and fall asleep faster.   You know, there’s probably a university study somewhere that proves this. (But I’ll save my sarcastic comments for my political blog.)

Okay, sarcasm aside, it only makes sense that with regular exercise you’ll experience that your quality of sleep is improved and that the transition between the cycles and phases of sleep become smoother and more regular. There’s also a separate benefit of exercise in that if you keep up your physical activity during the day, stress and worries may be easier to deal with.  They won’t loom so large, and so sleep is easier.

Research and studies indicate that there is a direct correlation between how much we exercise and how we feel after.  During exercise, the body releases endorphins (nature’s “feel good” chemical) and your spirits brighten.  So, if you increase your physical activity during the day,

1. You’ll feel good from the endorphins, and
2. You’ll burn off energy so that you aren’t buzzing with energy at night as you sleep.

You already know that your body requires a certain amount of physical activity in order to keep functioning in a healthy manner. (How many years have people been telling you this?) But the thing is that the timing of exercise is important, too.  You do not want to be exercising in the three or four hours before you go to bed.   It just messes with you.  The ideal exercise time is in the late afternoon or early evening. You want to make sure you expend your physical energy long before it is time for your body to rest and ready itself for sleep.

It’s very beneficial to exercise three or four times per week for a period of 30 minutes or so.  I would recommend setting a goal of 6 times per week every week. That way, even if you miss on or two, you’re still exercising four or five times, right? Stick with me here.  Let’s say you set a goal of exercising only once or twice a week and then something comes up (and it always does) to prevent one of your workouts.  With your goal set so low, you’ve lost 50 to 100% of your planned workouts. On the other hand, if you shoot for 6 workouts a week and you miss one, you’ve lost out on only 16%.

Exercise can be something simple — like energetic walking. If you prefer, you can include strenuous activities such as running as well.  Just do it.  The goal here is to increase your heart rate and strengthen the capacity of your lungs. In doing so, you will improve your overall health and help yourself emotionally as well.

Along with running and walking there are several other physical activities that you can add to your daily life to increase your level of physical activity. If you are battling insomnia, you’ll find aerobic exercise to be the best.

Your goal with exercise is to increase the amount of oxygen that reaches your blood stream. Overall, there are many types of aerobic exercise for you to choose from. The activities include running, biking, using a treadmill, dancing, and jumping rope.

There are some non-aerobic exercises that you may find beneficial to help you solve your insomnia.

Yoga
Yoga is a system of exercise that stimulates your nervous system, especially the brain. In yoga, breathing techniques and yoga postures increase the blood circulation to the brain, which in turn promote regular and restful sleeping patterns. The regular practice of yoga relieves tension and stress.

Tai Chi
Tai Chi is another ancient art of breathing and movement that was developed by the Chinese monks. The movements are slow, precise, and deliberate, which is ideal if you have joint pains or you are unable to participate in high aerobic exercises. Research has shown that Tai Chi help with insomnia by promoting relaxation.

Let’s say you don’t have any time to exercise on a regular basis, then play some games on yourself.  For example:

1. Sneak tiny moments of activity into your schedule. Whenever possible, you should take the stairs instead of the elevator, and you’ll find that little things like that will do wonders for your body.
2. You should also park your car around the corner and walk that extra block or two to get to your destination.

Get creative.  Heck, take the long way to the bathroom at the office.  Every bit helps.

The numerous small things can add up to increase the activity in your life. Your overall goal here is to have a healthy and well balanced life – with plenty of sleep.

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