New research from Concordia University shows that physical activity is good for sleep when it ends two hours before bedtime, including promoting falling asleep and increasing the time it takes to sleep. But excessively strenuous exercise before bed doesn't guarantee a good night's sleep.
Exercise is often positively associated with a good night's sleep. However, if the timing of exercise is not properly scheduled throughout the day, it can also change the way we sleep. Researchers at Concordia University, in the journal Sleep Medicine Reviews, published a new meta-analysis that evaluated:Data from published studies explaining how exercise affects sleep in healthy adults in young and middle-aged adults.
While no two people's bodies are the same, researchers did find that a combination of these factors interacted to enhance or regulate the effects of exercise on sleep. "When we review the literature on this work, we find that there are a lot of mixed results. Cognitive neuropsychologists and researchers at the Sleep Lab saidSome depend on the duration of exercise, some on the fitness level of the study participants, or even on the type of exercise. ”
Their main goal is to assess whether high-intensity exercise affects sleep, understanding what factors may affect sleep, the researchers said. The researchers synthesized itThe data from the studies, which were statistically analysed, examined variables such as the time of exercise (in the evening or before bedtime) and the length of time between stopping exercise and going to bed (less than two hours, about two hours, and two to four hours). Other variables included the participant's fitness level (sedentary or regularly active), threshold intensity, and exercise duration. They also analyzed how specific types of exercise affect sleep.
"Overall, our analysis showed that exercise, which ends two hours before bedtime, has benefits for sleep, including promoting falling asleep and increasing sleep duration. "On the other hand, sleep can be negatively affected when exercise ends less than two hours before bedtime." Participants took longer to fall asleep and slept shorter. Further analysis provided the following results:
Exercise at an appropriate intensity in the evening can promote sleep onset and prolong sleep duration, especially in sedentary subjects. InToExercising at an appropriate intensity between minutes also improved the possible morbidity and duration. The study found that cycling was most beneficial for participants' onset and deep sleep.
However, regardless of the time, high-intensity exercise can lead to REM (REM) for sleeprem) stage, which is usually associated with dreaming experiences. Studies have shown that a reduction in REM sleep can negatively affect cognitive tasks if the information is complex and emotionally stimulating, but not if the information is simple or neutral. [Note:.]remrapid eye movementThe REM phase is a stage of animal sleep, also known as REM sleep. During this sleep stage, the eyeballs move rapidly while the body muscles relax. 】
Different effects on early risers and night owls: "According to our review, healthy, young and middle-aged people with no history of sleep disorders should do evening exercise in the early evening if possible. "Individuals should also maintain a consistent exercise schedule, as exercising at different times of the night can lead to sleep disturbances." Individuals should also consider whether they are early risers, or late sleepers. Doing high-intensity exercise late at night can lead to sleep disturbances in people who wake up early. "In addition, sleep hygiene strategies should be employed, such as taking a shower after exercise and before bedtime, avoiding large meals or drinking plenty of water before bedtime, and so on.