Five Effects of Late-Night Exercise on Sleep Quality

The effect of exercise on sleep cannot be over-emphasised. Regular exercise can lead to deeper and better quality sleep since it increases heart rate, releases adrenaline and raises body temperature.  Are these effects limited to exercising at a certain time only? Exercising at night, especially close to bedtime has always been thought of as bad and therefore avoided at all costs. What exactly are the effects of late-night exercise on sleep?

Leads to Better Sleep

According to The Sleep Holic having a good adaptive and more supportive memory foam mattress and doing late-night exercise can enhance sleep quality. A poll in 2013 by the National Sleep Foundation, concluded that exercise and good sleeping environment can help you sleep better regardless of the time it’s carried out.
The rapid temperature decline after exercise in combination with decreased blood pressure and reduced muscle tension can stimulate sleep. Exercise, albeit close to bedtime, is desirable to not exercising at all.

Greater Emotional Comfort

At any intensity, you may experience an increased feeling of emotional comfort before you sleep. This does not mean you will necessarily fall asleep faster because you undergo physiological stress placed on your body by the exercise.
It can still take you a while before you sleep because your body is trying to recover, but those moments before sleep are calmer and more relaxed.

Loss of Sleep
It is not only the timing of exercise that may affect sleep quality but the intensity of the workout involved. Your sleep may be negatively affected by a very intense workout done just before bedtime.
High intensity exercise may take you longer to fall asleep and when you do sleep, the sleep quality is much less. Instead of falling asleep immediately, more time was spent staring into space.

No Effect at All
Many people who engaged in moderate-intensity exercise at night indicated that, the exercise did not affect their sleep in any way. They did not feel much or any difference in their sleep patterns compared to being sedentary.
Those who exercise just before bedtime for at least 35 minutes have reported sleeping equally well in comparison to when they didn't exercise.

Better Late than Never
The best exercise time differs among individuals for various reasons. If late night exercise is the only time you can get active, go for it. However, if you are currently experiencing sleep problems, exercising close to bed time may worsen them. Find out what kind of effect late-night exercise has on your sleep habits and adjust accordingly.
It is recommended to exercise whatever time you can fit it in. If you have difficulty sleeping after late-night exercise, avoid working out close to bedtime. Spend at least one hour cooling down before you sleep. An active lifestyle is more desirable than a sedentary one.