How to train for better sleep

Sleep and exercise work together like gears in a machine: when one turns smoothly, the other follows in lockstep. Good sleep supports athletic recovery and performance, while exercise releases beneficial brain chemicals, reduces stress and can help you fall asleep faster.

But for those who suffer from insomnia, the rules may be different; Even a small misalignment can cause the gears to fall out of sync. Just as the advantages go hand in hand, there are also disadvantages: exercise can put a strain on the body, similar to sleep deprivation itself. Exercising too intensively, too late or too often can backfire and make it difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep.

While most people don’t need to pay much attention to whether exercise routines affect their sleep, people with insomnia – chronic dissatisfaction with the quality or quantity of sleep at least three nights a week over a three-month period – are more sensitive.

“People with severe insomnia tend to have a hyperactive stress system. Stressors tend to cause the body to react a little exaggeratedly,” said Dr. Christopher Kline, associate professor of health and human development at the University of Pittsburgh. People with insomnia may not respond as well to the physical demands of exercise or recover from them as efficiently, he added.

However, there are ways to exercise regularly without making sleep problems worse.

Why exercise sometimes leads to poor sleep

If you’re doing a strenuous workout, you can expect to crash as soon as your head hits the pillow. But “you can’t train yourself to sleep,” said Dr. Kelly Baron, clinical psychologist and director of the behavioral sleep medicine program at the University of Utah.

She continued: “Of course, sometimes working out can make you feel really physically tired, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll sleep better.”