Want to sleep better? Get moving earlier. In a recent study at Appalachian State University, led by Scott Collier, PhD, participants ran on treadmills for 30 minutes, three times a week — at 7 a.m., 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. When working out in the morning, the study subjects experienced better-quality sleep that night, spending up to 75 percent more time in “deep sleep,” the reparative third and fourth stages of the five-stage sleep cycle, than when the subjects exercised in the afternoon or evening. This, says Collier, has some very real physical and psychological benefits. “When you spend more time in deep sleep, your body is able to repair itself more efficiently. It also helps you maintain your weight, cope with stress and feel better about yourself.”
Don’t fret if you’re not awake and ready to head to the gym at the crack of dawn. Just try to exercise within an hour of waking, says Collier. “The longer an individual takes to exercise in the morning, the more the results will resemble our 1 p.m. time,” which showed little sleep improvement.
What would you recommend the best food to eat before an early-morning workout?
Hi,
This may sound very typical. I was hurt a year ago and finally my injury is on the recovery final stage. Feeling terrible about myself and looking for support….HELP!!
I agree with this study. When I started hitting the gym I started to have a better sleep. Plus doing some tips I got from this article – http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/10/02/secrets-to-a-good-night-sleep.aspx
Hi,
Well getting up early is something that helps me get into action but I’m not sure this is for everybody. It depends on a variety of things like schedules, inherent trends and so on. There are some products like energy juices or organic bars that help us cope with exercising any time of the day!
The most important thing is to get the exercise in. For some people an early morning exercise is nearly impossible. These people should still get the exercise in when they can, even if it’s at night.
I would really like to see the study. I would like to know why they think this is.
Mike,
The study is explained in the article, “Changes in Arterial Distensibility and Flow Mediated Dilation Following Acute Resistance Vs. Aerobic Exercise” in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2010. You can find the abstract at http://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Abstract/2010/10000/Changes_in_Arterial_Distensibility_and.38.aspx.
Happy reading!
The Experience Life team
I have a dear friend who wakes herself from a deep sleep to run at 3:30 or 4:00 am each day. I think she appreciates the quiet she finds when the rest of the world is sleeping. Is there a point at which morning is so early that it becomes night?
Most days, I exercise in the early AM, 45 min after waking, for an hour and then again in the evening for an hour. Any opinions on this? Does the PM cancel the AM benefits for sleep aiding?