Tips for sleeping after a workout

Exercising right before bed was previously thought to be an obstacle to better sleep for most people. A recent study found that that was not really the case; It was reported that 83% of respondents said that they sleep better after exercising, even if it is immediately before going to sleep. In the same survey, people who said they exercised moderate to vigorous slept better on training days than on non-exercise days. Generally speaking, it can be said that exercise, regardless of when it is done, allows people to sleep better.

So to sum up the findings, exercise-induced insomnia may be a bit of a stretch than previously thought. But there are some people who have trouble trying to sleep after exercising. Also, there may be a gray area throughout this topic that we will cover shortly. If you’re avoiding exercise at night because of what you’ve heard, it could be of some benefit to see how exercise affects you. You may find that you have been avoiding night workouts without just cause.

However, if you are one of the few who is severely affected, here are some tips to help you prepare so you can sleep better. Getting enough sleep is just as important as getting enough exercise, and it is very possible that more people have health problems from insomnia than you from lack of exercise. Therefore, getting a good night’s sleep is a priority.

1. Try not to exercise excessively. Too much exercise can activate the stress response and elevate stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. Stress hormones help you perform daily physical activities by increasing blood flow to your muscles due to increased heart rate. Cortisol generally peaks shortly after waking up and then decreases during the day, reaching its lowest just before going to sleep. But an intense training session can cause cortisol levels to spike again.

If you must exercise before bed, a less strenuous workout regimen may be better. This would include Pilates or yoga, and it could mean that HIIT should be left for another time of day.

2. Be careful what you drink when you exercise. Many people drink coffee to enhance the gains from their workouts, but caffeine in the late afternoon or evening can be a real sleep problem. Also, you should drink plenty of water, as getting dehydrated during training can lead to sleep problems.

3. Take a hot shower or bath. Raising your body temperature just before bed with a hot sauna, shower, or bath can make it easier to sleep. When the body temperature drops suddenly when exiting the sauna, this will help the body to shut down, allowing you to overcome the stress that your exercise routine has just been through.

4. The type of exercise could be a factor. Sometimes it is not just the exercise, but what accompanies that exercise. Personally, I’ve never had too much trouble exercising before bed, but when I played futsal some of our games were late at night. At those times he had difficulty sleeping for about two hours after games, but that probably had more to do with the intensity of the competition than the actual physical work.