How we sleep has a significant influence on our day-to-day lives and on our health. It starts with small things – if you haven’t slept enough or are feeling restless, you can feel out of balance and have difficulty concentrating. The longer these sleep deprivation phases last, the stronger these symptoms become. Long-term sleep deprivation or disorders not only weaken our immune system, but can also negatively impact our metabolism. Increased calcium deposits in our blood vessels increase the risk of a heart attack, which can lead to weight gain because, among other things, it stimulates the production of a hunger hormone called ghrelin.
Regular exercise and sport help you sleep better. They reduce symptoms related to sleep deprivation and help you find a healthy sleep rhythm. A study published in 2013 in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine has already approached this topic. After about four months of regular endurance training, the quality of sleep improved markedly in patients.<
Source: Exercise to Improve Sleep in Insomnia: Exploration of the Bidirectional Effects, Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, Vol. 9/2013 An important factor in the results of this study is when the exercise takes place. If you exercise right before bedtime, you’re more likely to have trouble falling asleep. This is because no matter how good workouts and their effects on your body are in general, exercise first puts your body and your nervous system into a state of alertness. In order to fall asleep, however, you need a certain amount of calm. That’s why it’s recommended to exercise as early in the day as possible. Lots of individuals say that exercise in the morning makes them feel more awake and, therefore, helps them focus better throughout their day.
Even the type of exercise plays a role. The study focused on endurance training. In fact, endurance training is believed to have a better effect on sleep than team sports, for example. This is because we like to compare ourselves with others when we play sports. The need to win, whether it is sub-conscious or conscious, keeps us awake longer. With endurance training, you’re only concentrating on yourself and, after the workout, you’ll be able to calm down again more quickly. In addition, endurance training strengthens your immune system and boosts your cardiovascular system, which are other effects that can have a positive impact on sleep deprivation.
By exercising regularly, you’ll improve your endurance and can avoid getting sick. In the evening, you’ll be able to sleep well and in the morning, you’ll be full of energy to start the new day.