Want To Exercise More Tomorrow? How A Simple Bedtime Routine Can Boost Physical Activity By 30 Minutes

For most people (add me!), the daily struggle to fit more exercise into an already hectic routine is a battle against fatigue, motivation, and not least of all, time but strangely the answer lies not in trying to find that ideal workout or buying new running shoes? A significant new study, suggests that a simple change to your bedtimes—going to bed earlier, that is—may hold the key to a more active lifestyle.The study, released by Monash University scientists in Australia, examined the connection between bedtime and exercise. Although it does not unquestionably prove that an early night leads to more exercise the next day, the results strongly indicate a connection. The scientists analyzed wearable information from close to 20,000 individuals over the span of a year, creating a wealthy dataset that contained nearly six million night-and-day time stamps.Their key discovery: people who went to bed earlier tended to engage in more moderate-to-vigorous physical activity the following day. Those who hit the hay at 9 p.m. clocked in an average of 30 more minutes of exercise the next day than those who went to bed at 1 a.m. Even an 11 p.m. bedtime, which was the average among participants, resulted in 15 fewer minutes of movement compared to the early birds.Why Earlier Bedtime May Lead to More Exercise?The relationship between sleep timing and exercise is more involved than just getting extra sleep. The research revealed that even if individuals had their typical level of sleep, sleeping earlier than usual still increased physical activity the following day. What this implies is that sleep timing, rather than duration, has an independent contribution in the regulation of our energy and motivation towards exercise.Psychologist Josh Leota, a lead researcher, thinks that this finding might provide a straightforward but potent public health message. "Instead of pushing for sleep and activity separately, campaigns might push for earlier bedtimes to promote more active lives naturally," he explained.The reasons are both physiological and behavioral. Late sleepers may naturally be more fatigued during the day or experience what researchers call “social jet lag”—a mismatch between biological rhythms and social schedules like a 9-to-5 job. This can reduce not only sleep quality but also daytime energy and motivation, ultimately impacting one’s willingness to exercise.Strangely enough, people who went to sleep earlier but still slept for the same number of hours that they usually do tended to achieve personal records for their levels of physical activity. This indicates that it's not only about sleeping more—about when you sleep.Why would earlier bedtimes lead us to be more likely to get moving? The researchers suggest a few reasons:Less social jetlag: Most individuals' internal sleep clocks ("chronotypes") don't fit typical 9-to-5 routines, creating "social jetlag"—a discrepancy between internal and external schedules. This may result in more disturbed sleep and more daytime sleepiness, draining energy for exercise.Less late-night distraction: Late-night activity usually translates into more computer/TV time and less time for restorative sleep, which leaves individuals drowsy and less motivated to exercise.More regular wake times: While the study did not specifically quantify wake-up times, having an earlier bedtime may naturally result in waking up sooner and feeling more alert, with a greater chance of squeezing in exercise before the demands of the day can fill the schedule.Interestingly, the research also discovered that individuals who slept for an average of five hours recorded 41.5 more minutes of exercise than those who slept for an average of nine hours. This does not, however, indicate that a shorter sleep period is more conducive to fitness. Prolonged lack of sleep can disable the gains of exercise, raise injury risk, and harm overall health. Strive for a healthy equilibrium: sufficient sleep for recovery, but not a quantity so high that it pushes out time and energy for activity.How to Make Earlier Bedtimes a Part of Your Routine?So, how do you take this research and turn it into action? If you're motivated to attempt changing your bedtime, here are some real-world strategies to make the transition smoother and prepare yourself for more energetic days:1. Wind Down Slowly: Begin by creating a "digital sunset" 30 to 60 minutes prior to your desired bedtime. Switch off screens and dim the lights to signal your body that it is time to sleep.2. Develop a Sleep Ritual: Read, meditate, or do some light stretches. This signals to your body that it's time to unwind.3. Adjust in Increments: You don't need to transform your schedule in one night. Start by going to bed 15 minutes early every night until you hit your target bedtime.4. Align with Your Chronotype: We all have an innate circadian rhythm. Although this study indicates advantages from sleeping earlier, adjust your bedtime to suit your body's natural schedule without sacrificing sleep quality.5. Prioritize Sleep Hygiene: Make your bedroom cold, dark, and silent. Invest in blackout curtains, white noise machines, or whatever will let you sleep better.6. Keep Consistency: Attempt to keep the same wake and sleep times even on weekends to maintain a stable rhythm.While the best exercise regimen or the latest piece of exercise equipment can be beneficial, at times the most effective changes are the most straightforward. This research indicates that shifting your bedtime forward—even by one hour—may make you more active, energized, and eager to work out the following day.

Want To Exercise More Tomorrow? How A Simple Bedtime Routine Can Boost Physical Activity By 30 Minutes

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