Analyzing the relationship between exercise and sleep cycles
JEFFERSON CITY — Exercise is one of the best things you can do for your health and sleep pattern. According to Sara Peters, a Respiratory Therapist and Manager at SSM Health Sleep Center, it extends sleep duration, improves THE quality, and decreases the time it takes to fall asleep.
"It is recommended that you do not engage in very vigorous activity one to two hours prior to bedtime so that it allows you to fall asleep," she said.
But exercise is also the last thing you want to do when you're tired. Working out too close to bedtime may keep you up at night, as the body releases chemical endorphins and raisES core temperature.
"What's important is that human growth hormone. It helps us to repair muscle injuries, tissue regrowth, and things like that. So if you are not getting adequate deep sleep or staying in that deep sleep long enough, then your body actually is not regenerating and building the muscle or repairing any injuries that it should be," Peters said.
Sleep can be taken for granted because it seems to "just happen," and we allow ourselves to get by without adequate sleep. But by getting a good night's rest, you consolidate memories, reset the immune system, restore hormonal balance, and clear metabolic waste and neurotoxins. The progression of what's known as 'sleep cycles' is also essential for the body to heal and grow.
Research shows that exercise and sleep are both essential for your body and mind and when done in a proper balance, they can have immense benefits. The more well-rested you are, your mind and body will function better.
