The Workout That Helps You Fall Asleep Faster

Surveys show people who exercise regularly report better sleep. But new research reveals that the type and timing of your workout matters, too. (Dave and Les Jacobs/Blend Images/Corbis)

Instead of counting sheep, count reps. Strength exercise can help you fall asleep faster and wake up less often during the night, according to a small new study from Appalachian State University.

Previous research had found that aerobic activity can improve sleep, but this is some of the first evidence that strength training, such as weightlifting or Pilates, can have similar effects.

In the new study, 24 college students did a full-body strength workout on several different days. The half-hour routine included exercises such as crunches, bicep curls, and leg presses performed at a moderate intensity. At night, the students wore sleep-monitoring headbands.

The results: When students lifted weights at 7 a.m., they fell asleep about 45 minutes faster than when they didn’t work out. Pumping iron at 1 p.m. or 7 p.m. also helped students doze off about 10 to 20 minutes quicker than they would otherwise.

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Another recent study from Appalachian State found that aerobic exercise at 7 a.m. also shortens the time it takes to fall asleep, and is even more effective than strength training, says study author Scott Collier, PhD, director of the university’s Vascular Biology and Autonomic Studies Laboratory. Aerobic activity has also been shown to increase the time spent in restorative deep sleep.

So how does hitting the gym early help you to drift off into slumber 14-plus hours later? Stress hormones such as cortisol are typically at their highest levels in the morning. “Early morning exercise flushes out those stress hormones, so you have less stress during the day and it’s easier to go to bed at night,” Collier hypothesizes.

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And while many people worry that nighttime exercise will interfere with sleep, research from Collier and others has shown that later sweat sessions can actually help you snooze — as long as it’s not too close to bedtime, that is. “You start to fall asleep when your core temperature drops,” Collier tells Yahoo Health. “When you exercise, you’re eliciting a higher starting point, so your core temperature doesn’t have to drop as far to encourage sleep.” A 2013 National Sleep Foundation survey also found that people who typically work out in the evening didn’t report any more sleep problems than non-exercisers.

The sleep sweet spot for evening exercise is about four hours before bed, Collier says, adding that sleep hygiene experts advise avoiding activity for two hours before hitting the sheets. But everyone is different, he says, so it might take some experimenting to figure out what works best for you.

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