With the rise of working from home, and office work in general, it's not surprising that many people suffer from a sedentary lifestyle. After a whole day of sitting at a desk, you may have no desire to be active in the evening!
But exercise, no matter the form you enjoy, is extremely important for your overall health, especially if your day-to-day life leans more on the sedentary side! Not only that, but because not being hugely active in the day can have a big impact on your sleep, it's doubly important to try and get more active to ensure you can get better sleep. We take a closer look at why exercise can help you sleep.
How Does Exercise Affect Sleep?
According to scientific research, regular exercise can help alleviate sleep-related problems and help you get the amount of sleep you need. Equally, some studies have also found that poor-quality or not enough sleep will likely mean you do less activity the following day - leading to a repeating cycle. It is for this reason that most believe exercise and sleep are intrinsically linked.
The Sleep Foundation states that ‘exercising […] specifically, moderate-to-vigorous exercise can increase sleep quality for adults by reducing sleep onset - or the time it takes to fall asleep - and decrease the amount of time they lie awake in bed during the night. Additionally, physical activity can help alleviate daytime sleepiness and, for some people, reduce the need for sleep medications.’
Exercise can also indirectly help you sleep better. For example, if you have sleep apnoea, you may find losing weight helps relieve some of your symptoms and getting active will help you achieve this. Find out more in our Sleep Apnoea Solutions blog post!
How Does Inactivity Influence Sleep?
So, we know exercising more regularly can help improve your sleep, but can a lack of exercise make it worse? Well, scientific studies have proven a sedentary lifestyle can cause issues in moderating metabolism, blood sugars and blood pressure, as well as contributing to:
- Obesity
- Type 2 diabetes
- Cardiovascular disease
- Some types of cancer
All of these health issues can explain how a sedentary lifestyle might lead to sleep deprivation. Furthermore, a 2017 study in the International Journal of Behavioural Medicine states ‘prolonged sedentary behaviour tends to be associated with an elevated risk of insomnia’.
The Happy Beds Movement Mission
Do you need to up your exercise? Perhaps you simply would like a better night’s sleep? Whether it is a walk around your local park, a road run, or kicking a ball around the garden with your kids, let’s get moving so we can rest better!
Still Can’t Sleep?
Of course, lack of exercise may not be the only reason you’re losing sleep. If you’re already pretty active or have increased your exercise over recent weeks, it could be that your mattress is keeping you up at night. Why not upgrade your bed with one of our orthopaedic mattresses.
