Exercising Before Going To Bed

[WilsonFitbit]

Hello everyone! 

I'd like to know if you consider that exercising 2 hours before going to bed improves Sleep? If so, which type of exercises do you recommend?

I'd love to see your experiences. 

[shipo]

Kind of a loaded question.  A week ago last Sunday I went for a 10-mile run during the afternoon and needed a nap within an hour of finishing (I passed out almost as soon as my head hit the pillow and didn't move for two hours).  There are other days were I'm totally wired after a long run and sleeping would be impossible for several hours afterword.

[WilsonFitbit]

@shipo Interesting! 

Thanks for sharing your experience. I was investigating and it seems that exercising too late in the day, can lead to insomnia, which is the inability to fall asleep at night. But it is also true that Sleeping right after a workout allows the body time to repair and grow muscle tissue.

See you around. 

[FeelsLike]

I found that doing short, "fat burn" heart zone slow cardio on my elliptical with higher resistance has helped with sleep quality and quantity. I've also experimented with single-set heavier resistance band training (i.e. deadlifts). I've practiced deep diaphragmatic nasal breathing during both, which has been shown to improve respiration during sleep (with just 60 seconds worth) while at the same time stimulating the vagal nerve to prime parasympathetic response  2-4 hours before bed. 

Additionally, the increase in body temperature from minimal exercise just hours before sleep may help via a steeper pre-sleep body temperature drop, in a cool sleep space. But it's probably important to be very careful not to overdue late afternoon or early evening exercise to avoid large spikes in cortisol and metabolic rev-up that have been shown to be sleep-disrupting. 

[WilsonFitbit]

@FeelsLike Nice for you! 

Thank you very much for sharing your experience and the recommendations! 😊 I'll try to put this into practice.

I've also heard that aerobic activities, regular resistance exercises can improve sleep quality and other aspects of nightly rest. Strength training can also lower the risk for anxiety and depression. 

See you around.