Bedtime Workout: Can it Enhance Sleep Quality?
Exercising is a great way to stay healthy and in shape. It not only promotes a better physical lifestyle but also keeps mental health in check. Subject to one’s active and busy lifestyles, people work out at different times the day.
However, there’s an idea that working out closer to bedtime results in an energy boost in the body making it difficult to fall asleep. This would then either lead to restlessness or interrupted sleep. As a result, most people prefer to work out during the day well before their bedtime. However, a 2019 report published in the journal Sports Medicine tells us otherwise. The report mentions that easy, low impact exercises that don’t raise adrenaline levels before bedtime are beneficial for healthy sleep.
Experts add that a no-sweat workout is ideal before bedtime because the body recovers and repairs better in the rested state. Low-key exercises also act as stress and tension relieving activity right before bed, signaling the brain and the body to shut off. With both the body and mind at ease, sleep induces faster. This enables better metabolism and strengthens the immune system. While there are a host of routines available online, here is a list of low-intensity workouts you can try before bedtime. Remember to ease into them and take it slow. The key is to de-stress and relax, not to work up a sweat.
Low-key workouts before bed
- Yoga
- Stretches
- Plank
- Bird-dog
- Glute bridge
- Meditation and breathing exercise
- Self-Massage or activating pressure points
Tips for Identifying the Right Bedtime Exercise
To kick things off, choose which type best suits you. Understand how your body and sleep quality react to a nighttime workout and accordingly adapt. Breathing exercises and meditation are great methods to calm your body and mind. Also consider using calming elements around you like essential oil, relaxing music, etc. This said vigorous exercises before bed will most definitely push sleep away and keep you awake for longer.
In addition, it is advised that people with sleep disorders avoid nighttime exercises. If you do however miss your morning workout, schedule high-intensity workouts to finish at least two hours before bedtime. This will ensure enough time for the body temperature, adrenaline and heart rate to return to normalcy. A cold shower after further helps in reducing body temperature too. Globally, both health experts and doctors agree that routine exercise over time helps sleep better and contributes to a healthy lifestyle. In essence, burn calories to sleep better. Therefore, we recommend you ensure to accommodate some time to work out in your schedule every day.
If you’ve put the effort and sweat it out, your body also needs wholesome sleep to recover better. To ensure this, check out bamboo sheets for your bed. Bamboo sheets are a great eco-friendly and far comfortable alternative to conventional cotton sheets. The fabric is more breathable, greatly elevates your sleep environment, and is ideal for a good night’s sleep after working out.
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