After a good workout at the gym I feel good physically and emotionally. Although during my workout I may feel absolutely awful, I do it because I know that as soon as I walk out of the doors of the IM building afterwords, I will feel great. I also noticed that I feel more relaxed and, therefore, fall asleep easier on days that I exercise versus days that I do not. Is there a correlation?
-
- http://www.riskmanagement365.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/physical-exercise.jpg
-
- http://rs.ksu.edu.sa/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/sleep-clipart-clip-art-sleeping-430097.jpg
A self-report study was conducted by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to determine the correlation between exercise and sleep. A group of 3081 adults ranging from ages 18 to 85 were included in the study. Factors such as BMI, age, and physical/mental health issues were taken into account. Each member of the study wore a ActiGraph 7164 accelerometer, a device used to track physical activity, for one week. The study showed that those who got more physical activity reported better nights sleep as well as less sleepiness during the day as opposed to those with less physical activity. These results showed that the likelihood of feeling sleepy during the day “decreased by a factor of 0.65…” (NHANES, 2005)
Although the results of this study are promising because of the similarities between them and other studies, it could be slightly off. This is because it was a self-reported study. People could be reporting a false positive. In other words, after exercising more often one could think that he/she is getting more sleep when in reality his/her sleep has not been effected at all. I believe these results, though, because of personal experience.
Another study was conducted by member of the Department of Neurology at Northwestern University. This study was a randomized control trial consisting of a sample group of seventeen adults over the age of 55 who suffer from insomnia. The control group remained sedentary for four months while the other group participated in more aerobic exercise. People who are sedentary and suffer from insomnia had a score of above 5 on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Those who were active throughout the study had a score of less than .0001 on the PSQI. This shows an immense improvement in sleep quality for those who were physically active.
The sample size of this study was small. It also had a vague description of the ages of those studied by simply stating that the people were above 55 years old. These factors could greatly effect the results, but as I said for the first study mentioned, the results agree with that of other studies.
So why might exercise have an affect on sleep? Exercise causes a release of Endorphins in the brain. Endorphins improve mood and energy but also act as a sedative which relaxes the body, ultimately aiding in sleep. The flow chart below shows other effects of exercise on the body and how all of them can ultimately lead to better sleep. More detailed information about the effects can be found here.
http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fneur.2012.00048/full
Although it is not 100% confirmed why exercise improves sleep, studies (and personal experience) show that there is some correlation between the two. Have you experienced better sleep after being more physically active??
Sources:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1389945710002868
https://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-news/study-physical-activity-impacts-overall-quality-sleep
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1755296611000317
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1389945710002868
After reading this, I began to think about my personal experiences. I like to work out because, I agree that, it leaves me feeling good and less stressed. I do think that it aids in better sleep due to the fact that it tires a person out but depending on what time you exercise, your sleep may be negatively effected. For me this is the exact case. I like exercising close to bed time only because after I am done I can just jump into the shower then go to bed. Therefore, I find it hard to go to sleep after because my body has just been pumped full of endorphins and I am wide awake. I think your conclusion is valid depending on what time a person works out.
Previously, I wrote a post on what the best time to exercise is, and this made me think of that. I do believe that exercise improves sleep quality, but from the research I found, it can also mess up your sleep schedule. If you exercise too close to your bed time, the endorphins released have a negative impact on the quality of sleep. I’m not sure what the ideal time to exercise would be in regards to best night’s sleep, but I think that would be an interesting topic to take on now that you have proved that is does help.
Hi Kassidy!
I enjoyed reading about your post because like you I can understand how one would think that there is a correlation between exercise and how well a person sleeps. I exercise often, and when I do I notice that my body becomes tired after putting in a good work out. I become more relaxed and ultimately feel better about myself having made the conscious decision to be active. Exercise reduces the stress that I may have had which may also be a factor in getting a better sleep. After a work out, I am not worried about other things and can sleep peacefully. I think your studies show good support even though the results may not be 100% accurate.