Sleep better through exercise: How exercise affects your sleep

You've probably experienced the following scenario: you're lying in bed and simply can't fall asleep or wake up repeatedly during the night. Did you know that lack of movement can contribute to your body simply not resting or waking up more frequently at night? Not enough movement can also lead to serious sleep disorders. We answer the four most important questions about how exercise affects your sleep.

If you spend most of your everyday life sitting - such as in the office or working from home - you should consciously take time for exercise in between. Otherwise your body will not be fully utilised at the end of the day and will not be able to rest. You may be tired in the evening, but your body won't be.

In order for exercise to help you fall asleep, you should pay attention to the following points: the type, intensity and time of the workout or exercise. Exercise also means stress relief for your body. It comes to rest, which automatically makes you more relaxed and balanced for the rest of the day and when you want to go to bed. In addition, your body recovers from exercise and regeneration begins when you go to sleep. Exercise can also help to extend the deep sleep phase, as your sleep time can generally be extended by exercise, not just improved.

More exercise not only promotes restful sleep - better sleep contributes to increased performance. This means your body is automatically fitter the next day. This means that sleep and sufficient exercise go hand in hand. Sleep not only boosts your physical performance, but also your mental performance.

According to a study conducted by Iowa State University in 2022, strength training can improve your sleep quality. The study showed that sleep efficiency increases significantly with regular exercise for muscle building. Sleep efficiency is the time you actually slept in relation to the total time you spent lying in bed. In addition, the sleep duration of the test subjects increased by around 40 minutes. The sleep duration also increased by an average of 23 minutes in the test subjects who did endurance training. This means that it is not just a muscle-building workout that improves the quality of sleep, but exercise in general. A combination of cardio and strength training is always the best way to train your body and improve your health.

Any kind of exercise can help to get your sleep rhythm under control. This doesn't just include intensive weight training. Exercise such as climbing stairs, doing the shopping or going for a short walk can also improve your sleep behaviour.

It is important that you introduce a certain regularity and routine into your exercise. Try to get enough exercise every day and integrate enough sports sessions into your daily routine.

Intense sport releases a lot of hormones and energy that you no longer need in the late evening before you go to sleep. Especially during endurance or HIIT training, your body is particularly revved up and doesn't get to rest straight away. This is because you are usually deprived of oxygen during training and stress hormones are released. This has the opposite effect, which can lead to poorer sleep. Here you can remember the following rule of thumb: The more intense your training, the earlier in the day you should do your workout - one reason why early morning exercise is ideal. However, make sure that you have enough time to sleep and that your alarm doesn't wake you up too early.

Exercise also releases the sleep hormone adenosine. With light or moderate exercise such as yoga or a short jog and a walk, you can therefore exercise in the early evening hours. Your energy levels will not be too high due to the gentle exercise and you will be more relaxed and tired at the end of the workout, making it easier for you to fall asleep. It is therefore better to opt for aerobic training in the evening before going to bed.

As you can see, exercise can have different effects on your sleep. Try to find your own routine and exercise regularly so that your body finds it easier to fall asleep at the end of the day. If you tend to feel exhilarated in the evening after a workout, try moving your workout a few hours earlier so that you have more time between exercise and bedtime.