Exercise. The miracle sleep solution

30 day sleep challenge: Day 4 — exercise

#8anight

It’s a dilemma we have all faced at some point, do we drag ourselves out of our warm, cosy beds and put on our trainers or do we embrace the warmth and grab an extra half hour of shut eye? The latter nearly always sounds the most appealing but the former is the one that will help you get a better, more restful night’s sleep when you tuck yourself up later that night.

Exercise is the miracle cure. Reducing illnesses, risk of stress, dementia, Alzheimer’s and depression whilst boosting your self-esteem, mood, energy and sleep quality; physical activity has been strongly linked to a healthier and potentially happier life.

Sleep studies have shown that ‘regular physical activity may serve as a non-pharmaceutical alternative to improve sleep’

Results also found 65% of the participants who were carrying out regular physical activity were not feeling sleepy during the day, had fewer leg cramps when sleeping and were less likely to have difficulty concentrating when tired.

It is recommended that adults should try to be active daily, aiming to meet at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity a week through a range of activities.

Exercise doesn’t have to be a chore; there are plenty of fun and unusual classes out there at the moment as well as free clubs and groups. Buddying up with a friend also helps as does signing up to events like 5 and 10KM races. So dig out your trainers, curate a killer playlist and try and get one session in this week.

Let us know how you’re getting on via Twitter @sleepkokoon and tagging your achievements with #8anight.