Health Upp Exercises – There have been extensive studies into how exercise can improve the quality of your sleep, with some studies finding a bidirectional relationship between exercise and sleep. However, there more research is needed to understand whether exercise can be an effective tool to help those suffering from disordered sleep, as not getting enough sleep can be an impediment to initiating and maintaining a physically active lifestyle.
Moderate daily exercise can help people sleep better, and while lack of sleep may lower your motivation for daily activity, there are some types of exercises that can promote a higher quality of sleep than others. Understanding which exercises can help your sleep and whether you should work out during the day or exercise before bed can help to ensure that you get enough rest every time you get in bed. You can also refer this link for the further help a unique
Types of Exercise That Improve Sleep
When it comes to choosing exercises to improve your sleep, there are three types that can help you to achieve your goals; aerobic, resistance, and yoga.
- Aerobic Exercises: Often referred to as cardio, promote rapid breathing and increased heart rates; this type of exercise is also used by people looking to improve blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease.
- Resistance Exercises: Also known as strength training, these exercises focus on building muscle throughout the body while increasing strength. Many health experts recommend mixing aerobic and resistance exercises into your workout routines as they can improve a range of physiological health aspects. Resistance exercises are often used as a way to reduce the risk of developing anxiety or depression as they are beneficial for the health of your brain and excellent for reducing stress.
- Yoga Exercises: These exercises are actually a specific type of resistance training, but instead of focusing on building muscle, yoga is design to concentrate on breathing exercises, posture improvement, and meditation. Yoga is often used by people looking to lose weight; however, it has also been shown to alleviate stress as well as reduce pain in the lower back and neck regions of your body.
Exercise Tips For Better Sleep
In the past, many experts discouraged late-night workouts as they could negatively impact the quality of a person’s sleep. However, more recent studies have found that this is not the case and that the best time to work out is dependent on what works best for the individual. With that in mind, try exercising at different times, such as in the morning, afternoon, or within a few hours of bedtime, to find out what works best for you and your body. You should also experiment with the intensity of your workouts, going from light to vigorous routines in order to find the best routine for improving your sleep. If you find that later workouts suit you better than early morning exercises, head over to Rise Science and check out their expert advice for the best way to exercise before bed.
While longer routines will help you to improve your overall health and can lead to significant physical improvements, 30 minutes of moderate exercise per day is all it takes to begin improving your sleep. If you struggle to maintain physical activity, it can be more helpful to commit yourself to a longer-term plan rather than daily workouts. For instance, a long-term plan would be setting yourself a goal to exercise every day for six months.
Aerobic Exercises: Running
Running is a fantastic exercise to help you improve your sleep, and many people find this aerobic workout is perfect for the mornings as it gives them a boost of energy for the day that tapers out when it’s time for bed. If you’re new to running, don’t be ashamed to start with intervals; this means you shouldn’t try to run the whole route you have planned in one go. Break your run into sections and walk portions of your route to give your body a chance to recover. Over time you will be able to increase the length of your running intervals while reducing how often you need to walk until your fitness improves enough for you to run the entire route.
Resistance Exercises: Squats
The squat exercise uses all of the major muscles in the lower leg, thighs, and hips. However, when you perform this exercise properly, it can also develop the muscles in the upper body to help protect the spine. Squats are an excellent starter workout when you are looking to use resistance training to improve sleep as they replicate a primary movement pattern that you use in daily life, such as picking items off the ground or getting in and out of a chair.
Yoga Exercises: Lizard Pose
Yoga exercises are great for the evening as they help reduce stress and pain from your day, which is perfect for improved sleep. Whether you choose to do a full yoga routine or a few poses before bed, you should always end your workout with the savasana pose, which is where you lie on your back, letting your legs and arms relax at your sides for four minutes.
There is no set sequence of yoga poses for the ideal routine to improve sleep, and you should begin by trying your favorite poses to see what works best for you. Remember, when you practice yoga, the poses need to be sustain and gentle stretches, with slow and steady breathing. By ensuring you don’t rush between poses, you will find that the workout has helped burn off excess energy and relaxed your mind, which will free you from the stresses of your day in order to slip into a more restful sleep.
The lizard pose, also known as the utthan pristhasana, opens up your hips and is a great way to stretch your hamstrings, hip flexors, and quadriceps. When you perform this pose, you should always start in the downward-facing dog pose. From the downward-facing dog pose, you should bring your left foot forward between your hands and lower your right knee to the floor. Then you will need to walk your left foot to the outer edge of your yoga mat and place your elbows or forearms on the floor, or if you prefer, on a small block. Hold this pose for one minute before you switch sides.
