If you’re looking to fall into a deep sleep, performing physical activity may be the furthest thing from your mind.
Engaging in relaxing activities before going to sleep can significantly improve your sleep quality.
Studies have discovered that doing brief, recurring periods of strength training activities like chair squats and calf raises about every 30 minutes before going to bed can lead to a 27-minute increase in the duration of one’s sleep.
Recent guidelines advise against intense physical activity before bedtime, citing the fact that it elevates the body’s temperature and heart rate.
Thirty individuals aged 18 to 40 participated in the study.
They surpassed five hours of sedentary activity during the day at the office and two in the evening, respectively.
Two sessions were conducted in a laboratory for each participant, commencing at approximately 5 pm.
In a single meeting, they sat for four hours, whereas in the other, they stood still for three minutes every half-hour for a total of four hours.
The activity breaks incorporated a series of three exercises for 20 seconds each: chair squats, calf raises, and standing knee raises with straight leg hip lift.
Prior to the experiment, the participants averaged almost eight hours of sleep.
The additional analysis revealed that, following the breaks during activity, participants reportedly slept on average for an additional 27 minutes in that particular session compared to the remaining sessions within the study.
No significant variations in sleep efficiency were observed, indicating participants’ calm sleep duration remained consistent.
After consuming a meal, it remained unclear whether this activity has any effect on sleep quality.
Sleep inadequacy is linked to an elevated risk of cardiovascular and metabolic disorders.
In the journal BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, the researchers state: ‘These findings support a growing body of evidence suggesting that evening physical activity does not disrupt sleep quality, contrary to what current sleep guidelines propose.’
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