Regular physical movement has been found to benefit sleep quality and duration. A study measuring the effects of physical activity on chronic sleep difficulties found that exercising only twice a week for an extended period of time produced better sleep, emphasizing the link between physical health and sleep quality. A similar study associated greater physical exertion before bed with increased time spent in deep sleep, shorter time falling asleep, and a decrease in light sleep. Studies like these suggest that moving one’s body can have a positive impact on sleep.
Brand, S., Kalak, N., Gerber, M., Kirov, R., Pühse, U., & Holsboer-Trachsler, E. (2014). High self-perceived exercise exertion before bedtime is associated with greater objectively assessed sleep efficiency. Sleep Medicine, 15(9), 1031-1036. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2014.05.016
Erlacher, Carmen, Daniel Erlacher, and Michael Schredl. "The effects of exercise on self-rated sleep among adults with chronic sleep complaints." Journal of Sport and Health Science 4.3 (2015): 289-298. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jshs.2014.01.001
Retrieved September 2020, from www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/How-exercise-impacts-sleep-quality.
National Sleep Foundation (2020, July 28.). What Temperature Should Your Bedroom Be?. Retrieved September 2020, from https://www.sleepfoundation.org/bedroom-environment/touch/what-temperature-should-your-bedroom-be
Physical activity can range from sports to beach walks, or simply biking to class. We all naturally have different levels of need when it comes to exercise. Listen to your body to find what's right for you. Some other beneficial activities can include:
Skipping rope: Time is essential for college students. If you don't have the time to complete a long workout, try skipping jump rope for five minutes. It’s a great mini workout that can be done virtually anywhere and gets your heart pumping immediately.
Rolling out your muscles: The muscles in your body are constantly being used throughout the day (some more than others). A great way to relax and stretch your muscles is by using a foam roller. Once you get the hang of it, you'll notice the wonderful benefits of this easy muscle massage technique! Most sporting goods stores sell various styles.
Yoga and Meditation: An easy at-home form of exercise is doing yoga. Whether it’s for long or short periods of time, the benefits of yoga include deepening your flexibility and calming your mind. Try keeping a yoga mat near your bed and unwind with some simple stretches at night or in the morning as an intentional way to start your day.
A simple five-minute breathing meditation can also help to overcome stress and find some inner peace and balance.
UCSB Tip: After grabbing dinner at the dining commons or in Isla Vista, try taking the opportunity for a post-dinner stroll down to the ocean. Exercising with beautiful scenery... what more can one ask for?!
Late Night Workouts
For many college students, finding the time to exercise during the day can be extremely difficult. With class, shifts at work or in labs, meal times, and social engagements, students have a lot packed into their schedules. For some, this may mean exercising at night is the only option. One common belief is that physical activity before bed will worsen sleep quality. In fact, some people avoid working out at this time altogether, even if it means cutting out valuable exercise. However, recent evidence suggests that the effect of late-night exercise may depend on the person. Yet, how does an intense late-night workout affect your sleep? A study conducted on 11 young adults (ages 23-29) compared their sleep on days when they exercised vigorously two hours before bed and on days when they did not exercise. Participants exercised two hours before bed for about 35 minutes of vigorous physical activity. Researchers found that sleep onset latency (measured by polysomnography), actual sleep time in minutes (measured by an actigraphy), and subjective sleep quality did not differ significantly between nights when participants exercised two hours before and nights when they did not. Thus, these findings support the assertion that sleep quality does not seem to be negatively affected by late-night exercise for young adults. Proportions of sleep stages (measured by polysomnography) only differed when looking at non-REM sleep. Participants that exercised at night spent a more significant proportion of their sleep in non-REM sleep compared to when they did not exercise.
Another significant difference was that when participants did late-night exercise they had an increased heart rate during sleep compared to when they did not exercise, which was only significant for the first three hours of sleep.
Myllymäki, T., Kyröläinen, H., Savolainen, K., Hokka, L., Jakonen, R., Juuti, T., ... & Rusko, H. (2011). Effects of vigorous late‐night exercise on sleep quality and cardiac autonomic activity. Journal of sleep research, 20(1pt2), 146-153.
An in-depth 2013 poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation on exercise and sleep found similar findings in the opinion of those they surveyed. After surveying a thousand people, they found that those who exercise within 4 hours of going to bed subjectively report the same levels of daytime sleepiness as those who exercise more than 4 hours before bed, allowing one to infer that the quality of sleep both groups experience is similar. The following is a table on page 48 of the National Sleep Foundation’s 2013 Sleep in America Poll: Exercise and Sleep.
Fun Fact: The Epworth Sleepiness Scale that was used in this poll assesses one’s level of daytime sleepiness. Participants are asked how likely it is that they would fall asleep doing activities such as “sitting and reading” or “watching TV.” This scale thus attempts to measure how sleepy participants might be during low stimulation activities, when sleepiness is harder to mask. As of the time this was written, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale has been cited over 13,800 times!
Johns, M. W. (1991). A new method for measuring daytime sleepiness: the Epworth sleepiness scale. sleep, 14(6), 540-545.
National Sleep Foundation (2013). Vigorous/Moderate Physical Activity within 4 hours of bedtime [Table]. National Sleep Foundation. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/RPT336-Summary-of-Findings-02-20-2013.pdf?x10882
National Sleep Foundation (2013). 2013 Sleep in America Poll: Exercise and Sleep [Data set]. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/RPT336-Summary-of-Findings-02-20-2013.pdf?x10882
A meta-analysis conducted by Stutz, Eiholzer, & Spengler analyzing the effects of evening exercise on sleep quality from 23 studies also found that late-night physical activity generally does not seem to negatively affect one’s sleep. Two hundred and seventy-five participants with a mean age of 28.9 years were studied with a wide range of physical activity normally done each day. The average amount exercised when looking at all the studies was 87.4 minutes, which ended on average 1.8 hours before bed. Stutz, Eiholzer, & Spengler found that there was no significant difference between control conditions and evening exercise conditions in the time it takes one to fall asleep (sleep latency) and the percentage of time participants actually slept while in their bed. Additionally, as seen in the National Sleep Foundation poll above, subjective sleep quality, when measured, did not differ between conditions.
Compared to control conditions, Stutz, Eiholzer, & Spengler found that time spent in stage 1 sleep decreased and time spent in slow wave sleep increased after evening exercise. Stage 1 is a lighter sleep, where you can be easily awakened (National Sleep Foundation). Stage 3 sleep, which is also known as slow wave sleep (or deep sleep) is very restorative and allows your body to recover from the day's activities (National Sleep Foundation). Stutz, Eiholzer, & Spengler found that evening exercise does not tend to negatively impact sleep. In fact, nighttime physical activity may even improve overall sleep quality. However, results also indicated that vigorous physical activity before bed might harm sleep. Therefore for most people, leaving some time between exercise and sleep could be beneficial.
Stutz, J., Eiholzer, R., & Spengler, C. (2019). Effects of Evening Exercise on Sleep in Healthy Participants: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Medicine, 49(2), 269-287.
National Sleep Foundation. ( 2020, August 14). Stages of Sleep. Retrieved September 2020, from https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/stages-of-sleep
In most cases, regular exercise has been found to benefit sleep quality. To reinforce the positive relationship between physical activity and sleep, find a time to exercise that works best for you. As seen above, exercising at night can be beneficial to some sleep schedules, yet it can also be harmful to others. (Check out our Sleep Debt module to learn more about how stimulating activities, such as exercise, can mask your sleepiness.) According to the National Sleep Foundation, exercising can increase your heart rate and body temperature, and stimulate your nervous system: because of these factors, it might take longer to get to sleep after exercising.
To take notice of the optimal ways to promote sleep for your body (such as lowering core body temperature) check out our Bedtime Routines module. Pay attention to your sleep quality and your drowsiness the next morning after a nighttime workout to see what works best for you! If you find that exercising at night may be hurting your sleep, try to reserve a block of time earlier in the day to move your body. Physical activity can mean different things depending on the person: for some biking or walking can be beneficial, while others may prefer to go on a run or swim. Remember that recurrent physical activity will benefit your overall physical health in addition to your sleep.
National Sleep Foundation. (2020, August 14.). How The Timing of Your Workout Schedule Can Help Your Sleep Quality. Retrieved July 2020, from www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/best-time-day-exercise-quality-zzzs#:~:text=It%20raises%20your%20body%20temperature,negative%20effects%20on%20their%20sleep.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.