How to exercise at night to avoid insomnia

Exercise has many health benefits such as weight loss, stimulating stable intestinal motility, increasing body temperature to help sleep well. People who exercise regularly have deeper sleep than those who are sedentary. However, exercising in the evening close to bedtime, at high intensity, can cause difficulty sleeping.

To maximize the effectiveness of your training, you should note the following issues.

Exercise two hours before bed: When the body exercises, the brain tells the adrenal glands to produce adrenaline, also known as epinephrine. Epinephrine stimulates the heart to work harder by increasing the heart rate, helping to improve blood flow, bringing oxygen to the muscles, helping to increase overall performance. However, epinephrine, like caffeine, is also a stimulant that increases alertness. If you exercise close to bedtime, you are more likely to have insomnia. Exercising 1-2 hours before bedtime is appropriate for the body to rest, relax, and lower body temperature to get ready for sleep.

Don’t choose high intensity exercises: Some people think that the more tired they are after exercise, the better they sleep. However, intense exercise causes epinephrine levels to increase, stimulating the brain and making it harder to sleep than usual. High-intensity exercises should be avoided in the evening, such as marathons and weight training. Exercisers should exercise for about 40-60 minutes with light exercise in the evening or less depending on their physical condition.

Do not exercise after a full meal.: A light walk in the evening helps you sleep well and helps you lose weight, but exercising right after eating can easily lead to stomach reflux. Reflux symptoms such as belching, heartburn, and stomach pain make it difficult to sleep, which is not good for the person exercising. You should exercise about 1-2 hours after a meal to give your intestines enough time to digest food.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), each person’s circadian rhythm is different. If you exercise in the evening and sleep well and deeply, you should maintain it. In case you have trouble sleeping or insomnia due to exercising before going to bed, you should change the time to a more reasonable one.

According to the American Council on Sports Medicine (ACSM), exercise can be more effective when the body temperature is highest. For normal people, body temperature increases from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. During this time, muscles are more flexible, the feeling of exertion is low, reaction time is faster, and blood pressure is stable. Each person should keep a diary of exercise, eating, and sleeping, promptly adjusting the intensity and time appropriately.