It can be difficult to fall asleep at night for a number of reasons. Stress, poor habits, lack of exercise, and changes in lifestyle are just some possible reasons why it is hard to sleep. It can be hard to sleep due to the environment we live in, with urban environments surrounding you in both noise and light.
Our sleep issues can also be down to things like the bedroom being too warm, or too cold, or perhaps we’ve consumed too much caffeine or alcohol before bedtime. There are lots of things which can cause issues with sleep, but did you know that exercise can actually aid in helping you to sleep?
How Does Exercise Affect Your Sleep?
Exercise boosts endorphins and promotes the release of hormones that will help you sleep more soundly. So if you want to be well-rested, you should plan for some exercise in your day, to help you get a better night’s sleep.
Physical activity improves sleep quality in many ways. It helps to decrease the body’s production of cortisol, which is a hormone that stimulates arousal and alertness. While exercise also helps the production of serotonin, which is a mood regulator.
Exercise also increases blood flow to your brain and improves your ability to regulate your sleep-wake cycle. This means that you are able to fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer if you exercise before bedtime. One study found that people who exercised before bed slept longer than those who didn’t.
Exercising also releases endorphins, which are neurotransmitters that regulate mood and pain management. Endorphins help alleviate stress and anxiety – both of which can negatively impact sleep quality.
The Importance of the Sleep Cycle & the Relationship Between Exercise & Sleep
Due to the increased amount of workloads, many people are ignoring their sleep cycle. This can have a negative effect on their health and even cause problems.
Sleep is an important process that helps our brains repair themselves from all of the information they have been taking in from the day. Exercise is also important in our daily routine because it helps with our circulatory and respiratory systems and releases endorphins in our brain, which help us feel better about ourselves.
So what does this mean? It means that we should try to get a good amount of restful sleep every night, and we should try to aim to exercise at least three times a week for at least 30 minutes each time we do it.

Hi! My name is Gemma, and welcome to Miss Makeup Magpie, a UK based lifestyle blog sharing varied content to cover all genres.