3 reasons why you should not exercise before going to bed
Do busy mornings and packed days leave you with no choice but to workout at nighttime? If yes, you need to immediately stop doing this, says a new study.
As per a new study, working out before bedtime can impact your heart rate and affect your sleep cycle adversely.
If you are working out regularly but are doing it at the wrong time, it will reap you no benefits. And turns out, working out late at night can have some adverse effects on your health. Contrary to popular belief that working out at night can tire you and thus help you sleep like a baby, the new study says the opposite.
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The study
As per the new study, exercising late at night can raise your heartbeat and disrupt your sleep. Exercising generally leaves you dehydrated and releases stress hormones in the body, leading you to stay alert.
The bright lights at the gym and stress hormones stop melatonin, the sleep hormone from being produced.
Here are three more reasons why you should not work out late at night:
Increased alertness
When you exercise, the adrenal gland gets activated to produce adrenaline, which is known as epinephrine. This kick-starts the heart in the top gear and leads to increased heart rate. This also boosts the oxygen levels and blood flow in the muscles. All this, in turn, disrupts your sleep.
Stimulates nervous system
Intense workouts can stimulate the nervous system and raise the heartbeat, which can take time to get back to normal. This also disrupts your sleep. Few intense exercises include running, swimming, cycling and heavy weightlifting.
The nervous system needs time to recuperate, as it is a critical component for hand-legs-eye coordination. When the nervous system is in overdrive, it can lead to wobbling and shaking of the body, leading to muscle soreness, pain and poor sleep.
Less muscle growth
When you do an intense workout, your muscles break and tear. Resting is the prime way to healthy the muscles and increase their growth. As workout before bed can disrupt your sleep, it can also disrupt the process of muscle growth.
Experts suggest three simple ways to combat the negative effects of working out late at night:
- Make sure to exercise at least three hours before bedtime
- Take a hot shower to relax your muscles
- Light some essential oil in your bedroom or mix some in your bath water for the relaxing effect
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