4 Ways Exercise Helps You Sleep Better

Do you have trouble falling asleep at night? Do you wake up during the night and find it difficult to go back to sleep? Sleep troubles can leave you with fatigue and brain fog. Over time, this can lead to belly fat accumulation and increase the risk of diseases such as diabetes and even heart disease.

One of the best ways to improve sleep quality is through regular exercise. You should incorporate an easy-to-execute exercise regimen such as the 7-minute workout into your daily routine.

Below, you'll find 4 ways exercise helps you sleep better.

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1. Improves Sleep Efficiency

Exercise boosts the level of serotonin, which plays a vital role in regulating your circadian rhythm or your biological clock that signals the brain to wake up or go to sleep.

Better sleep is also promoted by temperature changes stimulated by exercise—your body temperature rises when you exercise and naturally falls during sleep.

2. Reduces Stress

Regular exercise reduces stress and anxiety, making you happier and stress-free. Exercise is a mood booster that relieves symptoms of mild depression and insomnia.

During your workouts, the production of a protein known as the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) increases and stimulates healthy brain function, especially in terms of memory and learning. BDNF also has antidepressant properties and helps ease depression and reduce stress.

3. Improves Sleep Duration

Exercise helps you sleep better and for a longer time. It improves sleep efficiency by increasing the duration of deep sleep, the phase that's known as slow-wave sleep.

Among the five phases of sleep, this phase is the most important for building and maintaining a healthy body, promoting a faster metabolism, and boosting immunity, muscle recovery, and hormonal balance.

4. Decreases Daytime Sleepiness

During exercise, our body releases endorphins that keep us feeling alert and awake.

While this decreases daytime sleepiness, keep in mind that exercising too close to bedtime can keep you tossing and turning in bed. So, to avoid difficulties falling asleep at night, work out at least a couple of hours before bedtime, if not in the morning.

» Want to boost your sleep through workouts? See these easy fat-burning exercises

Improve Your Sleep Through Regular Exercise

Exercise boosts the production of various chemicals and hormones that help you sleep better. It raises the levels of serotonin, endorphins, and BDNF, all of which play a role in how well you sleep.

Although it can sometimes make your muscles feel sore, a regular workout program that includes exercises like sit-ups or squats improves the duration of slow-wave sleep, helping you maintain a healthy body and brain.

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