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Is working out before bed a good idea?
Wed 04 11 2020

Sometimes your day is so full that the only time you are able to work out is late at night. you could be the type of person who enjoy quiet time at the gym or working out alone, but you still ask yourself; is it good to work out late at night? There could be some different opinions about this subject, and science also has its own. In this article, we will try to understand whether it is good or bad to work out before bed hours. Read on!

Usually, after your workout, you feel a burst of energy and satisfaction. This is because of the different movements you do produce hormones that make you feel happy and satisfied with your achievement. Also, the movement increases your heart rate and your blood flow, releasing endorphins in your body and making you feel more energetic. For this reason, many professionals wouldn’t recommend that you work out before sleeping. However, science has proven that working out does not affect everyone in the same way, therefore, one person could feel wide awake after working out while another would feel the need of sleeping.

In a recent study conducted in 2020, groups of patients were compared. Some of them did the different intensity of training and others did no exercise at all. All the patients were asked to go to bed an hour and a half, or 90 minutes later. During their sleep, the sleep quality and temperature of the patients were measured. The results of the experiment found that moderate-intensity and activity with moderate or low intensity did not affect the sleep of patients.

In fact, there are some exercises that are considered better than others before bedtime. As the previously mentioned study stated, not all levels of exercise do affect our sleep. Therefore, if you would like to work out an hour or so before bed, you should choose wisely what type of training to pick. Pick a training that comprises low to moderate-intensity activity, as this is the level of intensity that does not have a negative effect on your sleep. As a matter of fact, this intensity can still help you sleep better.

Another thing to keep in mind is that it is important to work out not less than 1 hour before sleep. It is recommended that you end your workout an hour and a half before heading to bed in order to allow your body enough time to rest and prepare itself to sleep. Some of the recommended moderate-intensity activities that you can do could be; walking, swimming, yoga, light weightlifting, biking, and stretching.

Tough workouts are better avoided during late times of the evening as they can stimulate your nervous system and increase your heart rate, which can keep you awake for a longer time. Therefore, stay away from High-intensity Interval training or HIIT, running, using a jumping rope, and heavy weightlifting.

In a conclusion, working out before bed affects people differently, therefore you need to try it in order to know whether it affects you or not. In case it does affect you, opt for light to moderate type of training.

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