This 1 Habit Will Transform the Quality of Your Sleep, Says New Study

Contents

What did the study find?Why is good sleep connected to exercise?How much exercise do I need to get to reap the sleep benefits?What kinds of workouts are the best to promote sleep?

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A new study suggests that consistent workout routines raises the likelihood of sleeping well.
The more times people did at least 10 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity during a five-day period, the better, deeper sleep they had.
Here’s why doctors and experts say the secret to better sleep lies in your sweat seshes.

If your bedtime routine features an intensive, multi-step process with an arsenal of tools, you might find yourself wondering if there’s an easier way to conk out at night. While sleep masks, sound machines, and sleepy girl mocktails can help (sorta), your solution for better sleep may be as easy as just getting regular exercise.

That’s the big takeaway from new research published in the Journal of Physical Activity & Health. The researchers discovered that having a consistent workout routine raises the odds of logging the deep, restorative sleep of your dreams. Given that regular exercise is good for your health in plenty of other ways, this seems like a health hack worth trying. Here’s why doctors are all about it.

Meet the experts: Chris Corral, co-lead study author and an exercise scientist at The University of Texas at Austin; Bert Mandelbaum, MD, sports medicine specialist and co-director of the Regenerative Orthobiologic Center at Cedars-Sinai Orthopaedics in Los Angeles; W. Christopher Winter, MD, a neurologist and sleep medicine physician with Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine and host of the Sleep Unplugged podcast.

What did the study find?

For the study, researchers had 69 adults wear a Fitbit to track their physical activity and sleep over eight months. The participants also took surveys three times a week that asked them to rank their levels of energy, stress, contentment, and sleep quality in the morning.

The researchers found that people who had more days with at least 10 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity within a five-day period had better, deeper sleep than those who got less exercise. People who exercised also said that they felt like they had more energy and less stress the next morning compared to participants who had less activity in their lives.

Why is good sleep connected to exercise?

For starters, exercise increases the supply of neurotransmitters that lead to better sleep, says W. Christopher Winter, MD, a neurologist and sleep medicine physician with Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine and host of the Sleep Unplugged podcast. Specifically, an increase in the neurotransmitter adenosine is likely the biggest reason exercise helps us sleep, although changes in the feel-good hormones dopamine and serotonin are important, too, Dr. Winter points out.

Secondly, regular exercise routines tap into your circadian rhythm. “Exercise, particularly if it happens around the same time every day, provides a circadian cue that allows the brain to know where it is in its 24-hour day,” Dr. Winter says. “We call this a zeitgeber. Regular exercise is an important one.”

Exercise can also boost your mood, and that can positively impact both how you sleep and feel about sleep, Dr. Winter says.

How much exercise do I need to get to reap the sleep benefits?

According to the findings in this study, not a lot. Even light movement, like taking regular walks or standing breaks, was linked with better sleep and a boosted mood the next day.

Still, “more is likely better,” says Chris Corral, co-lead study author and an exercise scientist at The University of Texas at Austin. Spreading your exercise out throughout the week also seems to be more helpful for sleep than being a weekend warrior, he says.

Bert Mandelbaum, MD, sports medicine specialist and co-director of the Regenerative Orthobiologic Center at Cedars-Sinai Orthopaedics in Los Angeles, agrees. “You should have daily exercise for better sleep—and health,” he says.

What kinds of workouts are the best to promote sleep?

Any exercise that gets your heart rate up can be helpful, Corral says. “There are benefits to both light intensity and moderate-to-vigorous intensity for sleep, although moderate-to-vigorous provides more health benefits beyond sleep, offering a higher return on investment,” he says. Corral also lists weight training, Pilates, and bodyweight exercise, as being helpful, along with yoga and stretching for relaxing.

Move more, get better sleep. It’s a win-win for your health.