HomeLifestyleHealth & FitnessBeing physically active close to bedtime can cause insomnia

Being physically active close to bedtime can cause insomnia

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While exercise is often beneficial and helps people get a good night’s sleep, a new study showed that intense training too close to bedtime can actually keep people awake later, leading to insomnia and make you sleepless.

Exercise may be harmful to your sleep depending on when you exercise. Although exercise is generally healthy and helps in getting a good night’s sleep, a new study reveals that working out too close to bedtime can actually keep you awake later and cause you to sleep less.

Concordia University researchers examined the association between exercise and sleep quality in 15 published studies. Although everyone’s sleep cycles are different, the results reveal that a strenuous workout within two hours of your typical bedtime can affect how much rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep you get that night.

“When we reviewed the literature on this work, we found that there were a lot of mixed results,” said Melodee Mograss, a cognitive neuropsychologist and researcher at the PERFORM Sleep Lab, in a university release.

“Some depended on the time of exercise, others on the fitness level of a study’s participants, or even the type of exercise.”

Exercise before bed is all about timing.

The researchers looked at how high-intensity exercise impacts sleep and what factors influence sleep quality. The 15 research looked at exercise timing, including early morning and late evening workouts, and the time between workouts and bedtime. The researchers classified these intervals as follows: less than two hours before bed, two to four hours before bed.

The researchers also took into account each person’s fitness level, whether they lead an active or sedentary lifestyle, the intensity of their workouts, and their session length.

“Overall, our analysis showed that when exercise ended two hours before bedtime, there were sleep benefits, including the promotion of sleep onset and increased sleep duration,” said the study’s lead author Emmanuel Frimpong.

“On the other hand, when exercise ended less than two hours before bedtime, sleep was negatively impacted. It took longer for participants to fall asleep and sleep duration decreased.”

The study also found that high-intensity exercise early in the evening helps people sleep longer. This is especially true for sedentary persons. 30-60 minutes of high-intensity exercise also enhances sleep.

There’s more good news for cyclists. Cycling improves sleep quality the greatest, says the study.

Does Intense workouts affect dreams?

Along with exercising too close to bedtime, researchers discovered that high-intensity exercise before bedtime reduces REM sleep. This sleep stage is linked to dreaming and overall wellness. Less REM sleep has been shown to harm cognitive performance.

“Based on our review, for healthy, young and middle-aged adults with no history of sleep disorders, evening exercises should be performed in the early evening if possible,” Frimpong said.

“Individuals should also keep to a consistent exercise schedule, as exercising at different times of the evening could cause sleep disturbances. Individuals should also consider whether they are morning people or evening people. High-intensity exercise performed late in the evening can result in sleep disturbance for morning-type people,” the study author concluded.

“And lastly, sleep hygiene strategies should also be carried out, such as taking a shower between the cessation of exercise and bedtime and avoiding eating heavy meals or drinking a lot of water before going to bed.”

The findings were published in the journal Sleep Medicine Reviews.

Image Credit: Getty

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