Scientists have revealed a simple evening routine that may lead to better sleep. And it actually goes against the conventional wisdom of how we should wind down before bed.
Roughly 1 in 7 American adults say they struggle to fall asleep most nights, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Numerous studies have suggested that a sedentary lifestyle—something that affects roughly 1 in 4 Americans—may contribute to poor sleep quality.
However, after a long day at work, slumping on the sofa is a much more attractive option than a 30-minute cardio workout. In fact, squeezing in a high-intensity workout just before bed may also make it harder to fall asleep—it feels like a catch-22.
"Current sleep guidelines discourage people from performing high-intensity exercise before they go to bed," Jennifer Gale, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Human Nutrition at the University of Otago in New Zealand, told Newsweek.
"One of the reasons it's recommended to avoid high-intensity exercise before bed is because it can increase body temperature and heart rate, which can result in poor sleep quality."
However, there is a workaround: "Short bursts of light intensity activity, around 2 to 3 minutes in duration, are less likely to cause large increases in heart rate and body temperature," Gale said.
In a new study published in the journal BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, Gale and colleagues explored whether performing these short bursts of exercise in the evening could help improve sleep quality.
The study involved 28 participants who completed two four-hour evening intervention sessions. The first involved four hours of prolonged sitting, while the second involved sitting interrupted by three-minute activity breaks every half hour. Activity breaks included chair squats, calf raises and standing knee raises with straight leg hip extensions.
"These simple, bodyweight exercises were chosen because they don't require equipment, or a lot of space and you can do them without interrupting the TV show you are watching," Meredith Peddie, principal investigator and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Human Nutrition at the University of Otago, said in a statement.
The team found that participants slept 30 minutes longer on average after performing short bursts of exercise during the evening.
Previous research from the same team has shown that these short exercise bursts also reduce the amount of sugar and fat in our bloodstream after a meal.
The same benefits may be seen after simply moving around your house or doing household chores.
"People could probably get the same benefit from walking around their house, up and down a flight of stairs, or even dancing in the living room," Gale said. "Whatever activity works best for you and your household is beneficial. The key thing is that any interruption in evening prolonged sitting is better than none."
Larger studies are needed to confirm these results and understand the biochemical basis of these associations, but the study offers an exciting opportunity to improve sleep quality without disrupting our usual evening schedule.
Is there a health issue that's worrying you? Do you have a question about exercise? Let us know via [email protected]. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
About the writer
Pandora Dewan is a Senior Science Reporter at Newsweek based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on science, health ... Read more
