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Short, light physical activities in the hours before bedtime counteract the negative health effects of widespread evening sitting and effectively improve sleep.
In a new study, experts at the University of Otago investigated whether repeated three-minute resistance training in the evening improves sleep quality. The results are published in the journal BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine.
No physical activity before going to sleep?
Many sleep guidelines advise against engaging in prolonged or intense physical activity in the hours before bedtime, as this can increase body temperature and heart rate, leading to poor sleep quality, the researchers report.
The team adds, however, that higher levels of physical activity during the day are known to contribute to better sleep, and the new study suggests that very short and light physical activity or exercise in the evening is more likely to promote sleep.
Participants in the study completed two four-hour interventions each, which began around 5 p.m. At one point, participants were instructed to sit without interruption during the intervention period.
In the second intervention, sitting was interrupted every 30 minutes by a short resistance training session using the patient's own body weight, which lasted only three minutes. These simple exercises required little space and could even be carried out without interrupting the evening of television, according to the experts.
“We know that many of us spend the longest time sitting uninterrupted at home in the evening. In our previous studies, we found that getting up and moving for 2 to 3 minutes every 30 minutes reduces the amount of sugar and fat in the blood after a meal,” adds study author Dr. Jennifer Gale in a press release.
Effects of physical activity
In the new study on the effects of this evening physical activity, the researchers found that participants who were physically active before going to bed slept 30 minutes longer afterwards.
Since insufficient sleep can negatively impact nutrition and is also linked to heart disease and type 2 diabetes, such simple steps to improve sleep can have far-reaching health benefits.
And based on the findings of other studies, similar effects could probably be achieved by, for example, walking around the house, marching on the spot or dancing in the living room – the most important thing is that you regularly get up from your chair and move your body, Dr. Gale concludes. (as)