Tired of having trouble falling asleep and suffering from insomnia?
If you are looking to sleep well, one piece of advice that often comes up is practicing regular physical activity, which helps regulate your biological clock (or circadian rhythm), influences the production of melatonin (the famous sleep hormone), and promotes relaxation.
But how can practicing a sport affect sleep quality? Does an evening workout ensure quality sleep, or is it quite the opposite? We’ll tell you everything!
Exercising to sleep well: how physical activity influences your nights
You have surely read or heard it before: exercising helps you sleep better. But have you ever wondered why, and especially how?
- 🔬 Physical activity and hormones: sports activity influences many hormonal processes, such as the production of melatonin and endorphins. Melatonin is best known for its relaxing effect, which helps facilitate the process of falling asleep. As for endorphins, they are produced after about 20 minutes of exercise and improve (among other things) relaxation and muscle release.
- 😴 Influence on deep sleep and sleep phases: one of the effects of melatonin is to lengthen deep slow-wave sleep and help you better transition through sleep cycles. Practicing regular physical activity is therefore one of the keys to restorative sleep.
- 🌡️ Regulation of body temperature: sports activity also plays a role in regulating body temperature, an essential factor for better sleep. It helps reach the ideal temperature for better sleep thanks to a decrease in body temperature that occurs a few hours after the peak reached during your session.
- 🙏 Combatting stress: anxiety is one of the main sources of sleep deprivation. As mentioned above, practicing regular physical activity helps boost the secretion of endorphins, the feel-good hormone, which can help regulate stress.
Conversely, a lack of physical activity can impact your sleep quality, increase feelings of drowsiness and fatigue, and decrease your athletic performance and muscle recovery.
It is for all these reasons that the National Institute of Sleep and Vigilance (INSV) recommends practicing sports for 30 minutes a day to sleep more and better. Provided, of course, that you are consistent and choose the right time for your session.
Evening sports and sleep: a misguided idea for falling asleep?
You might think that exercising in the evening will wear you out so much that you'll inevitably sleep like a log right after? Error!
Let’s go back to what we explained above: during a workout, your body temperature rises (the proof: the color of your face or the smell of your t-shirt after a workout).
But exercising at the right time can advance or delay falling asleep because a drop in temperature occurs after this heat peak. Thus, the body can synchronize with its circadian rhythm, as temperature plays a role just like daylight does. This is also why the bedroom temperature should ideally be between 18 and 20 degrees Celsius to facilitate falling asleep.
Are you still with us? Sports = a rush of heat followed by a chill, basically.
But if you do your session right before bedtime, all of this is shifted, and you end up with an elevated body temperature when you go to bed, which should be avoided at all costs.
By scheduling your session earlier in the day, like in the morning for example, you will quickly see effects on your daytime energy and nighttime sleep duration. If exercising in the evening is your only option, try to finish your session at least 2 to 3 hours before going to sleep and take a cool shower after your workout.
What type of sport to sleep better?
Now that you know when to exercise to sleep better, here are a few physical activity ideas to slot into your schedule to improve your sleep quality!
- 🚶♂️Walking: the ideal way to start and get regular activity is walking! Whether it’s brisk or Nordic walking, walking is an activity that can easily fit into any schedule: 30 minutes a day is easy if you leave your car in the garage.
- 🏃♂️Running: running is one of the most popular non-club activities, and for good reason—all you need is a good pair of shoes.
- 🧘 Yoga: a gentle or more dynamic activity depending on the type of yoga chosen, accessible to all levels. Bonus: you can even practice yoga in bed to sleep better!
- 🤸 Pilates: don't think this is a lazy activity for taking it easy! Pilates is a true muscle-strengthening discipline that engages the whole body and improves your posture.
- 🏊♂️ Swimming: a classic for improving your cardio, posture, and even back problems!
- 🚴♂️ Cycling: if you like outings and physical exercise, we also recommend trying cycling, which is ideal for cardiovascular health.
We can also mention fitness, dance, Zumba, gym, or aqua aerobics, which are often practiced in group classes to stay motivated.
The important thing, if you are a beginner, is to go progressively and at your own pace. Do not set your goals too high and keep in mind that consistency is the most important thing. You will thus enjoy all the effects of sports on sleep and the body without being discouraged after the first session.
Final word: sports against sleep disorders
- Sports have a considerable impact on our sleep quality. You will quickly notice the benefits of regular activity: fewer nocturnal micro-awakenings, less trouble falling asleep, and deeper, more effective sleep.
- There are several explanations for this: sports help regulate body temperature and reduce stress. It also affects the production of melatonin and endorphins, hormones essential for relaxing. Finally, it allows your body to better transition through the different phases of sleep (light sleep, deep sleep, REM sleep) and recover better.
- Be careful, however, about the time you do your session: exercising in the evening does not help you sleep—quite the contrary! If you can, try to do your activity at least 2 to 3 hours before sleep and take a cool shower after exercising.
- For a good night's sleep, it is recommended to do at least 30 minutes of activity per day and be consistent: no need to set yourself crazy challenges (unless you want to!), you can start at your own pace with a little walking, for example.
- And to learn more, we have an entire article dedicated to how to sleep better: a complete guide packed with great tips.
