I’m a proud dad today.  Yesterday my boys both ran their first 5K race.  One, who turns 12 next March, outran me by an entire minute!  I’ve told my boys for years now that one of my goals is for them both to end up being better than me at everything, and that’s starting to happen now!

A lot has been made of the relationship between exercise and quality of sleep over the years.  Recently, the 2013 National Sleep Foundation Sleep in America poll demonstrated “a compelling association between exercise and better sleep.”  Paraphrasing the data, those polled who did not exercise regularly indicated their sleep quality was “very bad” as compared to those who exercised regularly by a substantial margin:  14% as compared to 3-4%.  In addition, 76-83% of those who exercised regularly felt their sleep quality was “very good” or “fairly good,” as compared to 56% of those who did not exercise regularly, despite insignificant differences in sleep duration between the two groups.  These data and additional data from the poll support the longstanding idea of an association between good sleep habits and a lifestyle involving regular exercise.

We all know that regular exercise has been associated with improved overall health across a wide spectrum of parameters, ranging from cardiovascular fitness to mood.  Here are a couple simple exercise tips as pertains to your sleep:

1.  Exercise in the morning in general can help sleep quality and reduce the amount of time it takes to fall asleep once in bed at night.

2.  Though the notion of whether late-night exercise is detrimental to sleep has been challenged in recent years, I still recommend to my patients that it’s likely best to avoid intense aerobic exercise within 1-2 hours prior to their projected bedtimes; heavy aerobic activity can promote the release of stimulatory hormones.

3.  Consider exercise outdoors early in the morning.  The combination of aerobic activity and light exposure early in the day can further increase levels of wakefulness during the day and quality of sleep at night.

4.  Keep in mind:  the promotion of great sleep habits and hygiene originates from the same mindset that generates a schedule that includes regular exercise:  discipline to maintain a lifestyle geared toward good health, happiness, and longevity.  Use the same discipline for your sleep as you do to get yourself to the gym.  Stay regular with your sleep times and sleep scheduling.  Awaken around the same time every morning to the extent that you can.

5.  Your exercise tolerance and energy levels probably will improve with proper amounts of sleep every night!  Obey your body’s intrinsic need for sleep; most adults require around 7.5-8 hours of sleep per night, regularly, to feel fully awake and alert during the day.

Stay healthy, everyone!