Evening workouts may enhance sleep duration, new study reveals
A recent study from the University of Otago in New Zealand found that performing light exercises before bedtime can extend sleep duration by approximately 30 minutes. Challenging traditional beliefs, the research emphasizes short bursts of activity rather than vigorous exercise. The authors indicated that their findings contribute to the increasing evidence suggesting that evening exercise does not negatively affect sleep quality, contrary to current sleep recommendations.
Study details: Evening exercise and sleep quality
The study involved a three-minute circuit of exercises, designed as a break from sitting, to be completed every half hour over four hours in the evening. The researchers recruited 28 non-smoking adults up to 40 years old who spent more than five hours sitting at their day job and two hours in the evening. Participants were asked to wear a fitness tracker for seven consecutive days and record their activities.
Simple resistance exercises prove beneficial for sleep
Participants completed two four-hour evening visits to a controlled laboratory setting. In one session, they remained seated the entire time, while in the other they interrupted their rest with three minutes of simple resistance exercises every 30 minutes over the four hours. These exercises included chair squats, calf raises and standing knee raises with straight leg hip extensions. Study author Meredith Peddie noted that the simple bodyweight exercises were selected because they don't require equipment or a lot of space.
Evening exercise results in longer sleep duration
The researchers found that when participants performed these exercises, they slept an average of 27 minutes longer than when they spent the four hours sitting. The average sleep duration was seven hours and 12 minutes versus six hours and 45 minutes when they remained seated. Participants' wake times also differed: it was 7:35 a.m. after prolonged sitting and 8:06 a.m. after the activity breaks.
Study's significance and limitations acknowledged
The study, published in BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, appears to be the first to explore the effect of evening resistance exercise breaks on subsequent sleep quality and physical activity patterns in healthy adults. The researchers acknowledged that limitations of the study include the small number of participants and the lab setting. Despite these limitations, this research contributes valuable insights into understanding how evening exercises can impact sleep duration.
