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Around one in seven Americans report struggling to fall asleep most nights, according to the CDC. While research suggests that a sedentary lifestyle can be a factor in poor sleep quality, after a long day at work, many of us would rather just relax on the sofa than go for a run or hit the gym. But it turns out, taking a break from being a couch potato in the evening to do a few easy exercises could actually help us sleep better.
A new study finds that a simple exercise routine before bed may lead to sleeping a half hour longer. We’re not talking about a vigorous workout, just short bursts of light activity done throughout the evening. Researchers from the University of Otago in New Zealand found that a three-minute circuit of exercises that get you up and moving instead of sitting are all it takes. The thing is, they need to be done every half hour for four hours.
- Each three-minute “activity break” includes three sets of exercises - chair squats, calf raises and standing knee raises with straight leg hip extensions - done for 20 seconds each.
- Researchers chose these exercises because they don’t require equipment or a lot of space and they can be done while watching TV, but they say you could probably get the same benefit from just moving around the house, dancing, or doing chores.
- After doing the short bursts of exercise in the evening people slept an average of 30 minutes longer.
"Whatever activity works best for you and your household is beneficial,” explains study author Jennifer Gale. “The key thing is that any interruption in evening prolonged sitting is better than none."
Read the article at Newsweek