The human body was made for moving and with our increasingly sedentary lifestyles, the need to exercise your body (and not just the phalanges) has never been greater. The benefits of exercise are a mile long but one of the most significant and immediate impacts of exercising is the effects it has on our sleep.
Research by the Sleep Health Foundation has found 33 to 45 per cent of adults sleep either poorly or not long enough most nights, leaving them to face the new day with fatigue, irritability and other side effects of sleep deprivation.
Furthermore, a study published in December issue of the Mental Health and Physical Activity journal, revealed sleep improves significantly as well as general alertness and daily functioning if 150 minutes of exercise is incorporated into an adult’s weekly schedule.
As more research is conducted on using exercise as a non-pharmaceutical alternative for health conditions, findings are demonstrating the weight of its worth, not only for cardiovascular and mental health but also for sleep health.
The exact mechanism behind why exercise improves sleep is largely unknown but what we do know, is that exercise affects the core body temperature and impacts the circadian rhythm, our natural body clock that controls sleep and awake time. A recent study showed that a single exercise session of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise reduced the time it took to get to sleep and lengthen the time spent sleep. After 4 to 24 weeks of exercise, adults with insomnia fell asleep more quickly, slept slightly longer, and had better sleep quality than before they began exercising. (National Sleep Foundation-How Does Exercise Help Chronic Insomnia).
Here are a few ways you can improve your sleep health as well as your overall health and wellbeing.
- Partake in 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise per week.
- Try not to exercise within 3 hours of bedtime
- Keep the exercise regular rather than intense bouts of exercise
- Keep a healthy diet to compliment the effects of exercise and sleep
- Avoid alcohol before bed time.
Getting good sleep is integral to our overall health and wellbeing, poor health will affect sleep and so the vicious cycle begins. Ensuring you look after yourself with a healthy diet and regular exercise will improve your immune system and help combat chronic and acute disease. If you need help with your health and fitness goals, consider enlisting the help of an Accredited Exercise Physiologist. Find out more about us at www.northsidealliedhealth.com.au