How to get 60 minutes extra sleep each night through exercise

by Dr Caitlin Chasser

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Want an extra hour of deep restorative sleep each night? Everyone tells you exercise is great for your health but it’s great for sleep too. In this article I will go through exactly why, what and how exercise can be used to get the best sleep benefits.

Why you should exercise rather than turn to medication or other sleep therapies...

When it comes to sleep, exercise has been shown to produce similar sleep benefits compared to cognitive and behavioural therapies and medication for sleep. It has none of the costs of therapy and avoids the potential side effects or problems caused by dependence on sleep medication. Exercise has been proven to halve the time to fall asleep for patients with insomnia - that’s a lot less tossing and turning trying to get to sleep. Studies have also shown fewer episodes of waking in the night and a 20% increase in total sleep over the night for patients who suffer from insomnia. After a program of regular exercise patients report better sleep quality and their daytime functioning is improved. An added bonus is that exercise has also been proven to improve mood and decrease anxiety.

How often should I exercise?

To get the big benefits exercise needs to be regular. In general health professionals recommend 3 episodes of 30 minutes of exercise per week. But it seems when it comes to sleep, the more exercise you do the better. After a poor night's sleep exercise is tough; we know there is an inverse relationship with poor sleep and exercise - that is, if you have a bad nights sleep you will exercise with less intensity and for less time the following day. This is why it is important for exercise to become a regular part of your weekly schedule, so over a number of weeks the benefits that are seen slowly build on themselves. You will then be getting more good nights of sleep, and as a consequence will feel able to exercise more. 

How about intensity of exercise?

The intensity of exercise actually seems to matter less - it can be aerobic, anaerobic, mindful (like yoga) or not, strenuous or low intensity - it is all good. But for the big benefits it needs to be regular. We are talking every day or every other day for the best benefits. 

What type of exercise helps with sleep?

I really love yoga and practice at least 3 times a week, and I try to walk or hike on the days in between. But are all types of exercise equal when it comes to sleep? In the studies looking at long term regular exercise programs there does not seem to be a significant difference between the benefits seen from different types of exercise. The studies predict that when you look at the impact of just one episode of exercise, cycling seems to outperform running when looking at getting you more deep sleep, but this is not significant for the other measurements of sleep. I think the important take home message here is do what you enjoy. Whether it is a morning walk with the dog or a mega cycle up to the top of the mountain pass, the most important thing is that you do it and do it consistently. If you don’t enjoy the form of exercise you are doing you are much more likely to skip it. Some people find that having an exercise group is useful so on those days you are feeling a bit off, there is that extra pressure to put on your exercise gear and get out there. 

What time of day is best to exercise? 

Generally sleep specialists tend to advise morning exercise, especially if done outdoors or next to an east facing window. It’s great for kick-starting your circadian rhythm for the day and can improve energy levels. Evening exercise - that within 3 hours of sleep - previously was advised against by sleep professionals. The theory was that exercise increases your core body temperature and might inhibit the natural drop in body temperature that helps to initiate sleep. More recent evidence (see link below) actually proves that sleep within 3 hours of bed is just as good at improving the amount of sleep, time to fall asleep, and quality of sleep as morning exercise - and actually may be better at helping you get more deep restorative sleep.

Should I exercise before bed?

Some specialists have continued to suggest that exercise in the last hour before bed might be bad, but in my view I think this should be fine as long as you take a bath or shower afterwards which will help to drop your body temperature. Don’t worry this can be a warm bath or shower. The heat causes the blood vessels next the skin to widen, which brings warm blood to the surface and drops core body temperature as a result. Baths before bed are proven to improve sleep.

Conclusion

So if you are a bad sleeper now is your chance to use exercise to improve your sleep; it will help you fall asleep quicker, sleep longer and have better sleep quality. The good news is that whatever exercise you do it will help as long as it is regular and ongoing. Do what you enjoy perhaps with a group of people you’ll look forward to seeing. Consistency is the key so start adding a regular exercise session to your diary and bring on the good sleep! 

References

The effects of physical activity on sleep: a meta-analytic review. M. Alexandra Kredlow, Michelle C. Capozzoli, Bridget A. Hearon, Amanda W. Calkins, Michael W. Otto. J Behav Med, DOI 10.1007/s10865-015-9617-6

Aerobic exercise improves self-reported sleep and quality of life in older adults with insomnia. Kathryn J. Reid, Kelly Glazer Baron, Brandon Lu, Erik Naylor, Lisa Wolfe, Phyllis C. Zee.

The bidirectional relationship between exercise and sleep: Implications for exercise adherence and sleep improvement. Kline C. E. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 2014, 8(6), 375–379.

Effects of moderate aerobic exercise training on chronic primary insomnia. Passos, G. S., Poyares, D., Santana, M. G., D'Aurea, C. V., Youngstedt, S. D., Tufik, S., & de Mello, M. T.  Sleep Medicine, 2011 12(10), 1018–1027.

Effects of exercise on sleep. Youngstedt SD.  Clin Sports Med, 2005; 24:355–65. xi. 

Effect of Acute Physical Exercise on Patients with Chronic Primary Insomnia. Giselle S. Passos, Dalva Poyares, Marcos G. Santana, Silvério A. Garbuio, Sergio Tufik, Marco Túlio Mello. J Clin Sleep Med. 2010 Jun 15; 6(3): 270–275.