Falling asleep or staying asleep is not as easy as it seems and is a common problem among adults.



According to a survey administered by the National Sleep Foundation, about half of Americans report sleep difficulty at least occasionally.

This sleep problem is referred to as insomnia and has some serious effects, including a negative impact on concentration, productivity and mood.

How can I improve my sleep?

The good news is that there are many things that can be done to improve sleep. One of the ways you can improve your sleep is by monitoring your exercise patterns.

Exercise can be great for sleep, especially when done regularly in the afternoon, and not too close to bedtime. Instead of taking that mid-afternoon coffee break, why not take a brisk walk, jog, or bicycle ride?

Research suggests that exercise at this time of day can lead to deeper sleep, meaning you stay longer in the deeper stages of sleep. Also, people who exercise may take less time to fall asleep than people who do not exercise.

Exercise and Sleep

Besides the time of day you exercise, the type of exercise you do can affect how you sleep. If you are having problems with sleep, start paying attention to the types of exercises you do and how well you slept each night.

Sleep experts caution people to avoid strenuous exercise right before sleep and even up to three hours before bedtime. This is because exercise has an alerting effect and causes a rise in body temperature.

This rise leads to a corresponding fall in body temperature five to six hours later, so it’s best to time your exercise to when your body temperature will be falling back to normal.

If you have been exercising close to bedtime and are having trouble falling or staying asleep, try to move your workout to earlier in the day