People go through countless nights not being able to fall asleep. If you are one these, you may find yourself sleeping late, tossing and turning during sleep, and having trouble waking up in the mornings for work. Some may find that they wake up too early or that they are restless upon waking up.
Rather than turning to sleeping pills, reading a book that only keeps you up, or drinking wine before bed it is more advisable to exercise for better sleep. Unless you’re suffering from an actual sleeping disorder, exercise helps sleep for the average person. When you exercise you are burning fats and sugars in your body that help give you energy and once these are burned, certain chemicals are released that help you sleep.
Exercise is a daytime activity that can help you sleep depending on when you exercise and how often. Of course, exercising reaps other health and physical benefits but when it comes to sleep, exercise is a leading aid.
Spending about 20 to 30 minutes a day to do some moderate physical exercises is a good way to begin. You do not have to follow a strenuous workout plan to the point of collapse. You can go walking, jogging, bicycling, or even do yoga to relax your muscles.
The best times to exercise for better sleep is in the morning, early afternoon, or at least 3 hours before you sleep. In fact, exercise right before sleep works the opposite of what you want to accomplish. When your body temperature goes up, you have a harder time sleeping. Otherwise, you can’t go wrong with exercise and sleep.
You might want to spend 20 minutes going for a walk early on in the day and do some light yoga or stretching for relaxation a few hours before bedtime. This breaks up your exercise schedule so you that don’t have to do it all at once and it will keep your body energized most of the day.
Exercising once a week will not help you sleep better. Creating a consistent schedule for the week that includes exercise will help you sleep better as your body gets used to the schedule. You should time your exercise so that you maximize its benefits for sleep.