We’d all love to be able to sleep better. After all, the more we get the rest we require, the easier it is to feel great and get things done during the daytime. We’re happier overall, more alert, we eat better, and it’s simpler to control our weight. That said, so many of us still feel eluded by the rest we need.
Exercise During the Daytime Means You’ll Sleep Better at Night
New research has underscored the importance of regular exercise to being able to sleep better. Not only does exercise help to reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, some forms of cancer, and obesity, but it also helps to ensure you’re sleeping well. Science published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine shows that quality sleep also helps to reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, some forms of cancer, and obesity. As you can see, it has a layered benefit to your overall health, wellness and longevity.
In a UK Biobank study, researchers examined the data from approximately 380,000 middle-aged women and men, which tracks over half a million people for their long-term health data. In this study, researchers examined normal weekly physical activity levels and compared that data with the sleep quality they reported.
Research Results Linking Activity to Quality Rest
Within their data analysis, they looked specifically at a dozen exercise combinations with sleep over a span of eleven years. What they found out was that those weight higher physical activity levels during the daytime also reported that they would sleep better at night. Moreover, people who reported both regular workouts and rest also showed a reduced likelihood of cardiovascular disease, cancer – especially lung cancer – or overall early mortality from any cause.
In fact, those who reported a combination of higher physical activity and rest at a healthy score had the lowest risk of cancer diagnosis and heart problems of any other group.
As a result, the researchers concluded that exercise during the daytime leads to better sleep, and a combination of the two provides an important preventative strategy against early mortality factors such as cancer and heart disease.
These outcomes only add to a growing body of research that strongly connects exercise and better sleep, and the overall improvement on health that both those factors have on wellness. Exercise and adequate rest play a vital role in circadian rhythm, hormone regulation, cardiovascular health, and other critical health factors.