Want to Sleep Better? Try Exercising More, Doctor Says

By Cristina Mestre

The National Sleep Foundation's 2013 poll released this week found a compelling association between exercise and getting a good night's sleep.

Christopher Kline, Ph.D., a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry, was part of a five-member task force charged with coming up with the poll questions, interpreting the results and evaluating the findings.

The 2013 Sleep in America® annual poll interviewed 1,000 adults in the U.S. between the ages of 23 and 60, and found that:

Self-described exercisers reported better sleep than self-described non-exercisers even though they say they sleep the same amount each night (6 hours and 51 minutes on average during the week).
Vigorous, moderate and light exercisers are significantly more likely to say “I had a good night’s sleep” every night or almost every night on work nights than non-exercisers (67 percent to 56 percent vs. 39 percent).
Vigorous exercisers are the least likely to report sleep problems.
More than three-fourths of exercisers (76 percent to 83 percent) say their sleep quality was very good or fairly good in the past two weeks, compared to slightly more than one-half of non-exercisers (56 percent).
Non-exercisers tend to be more excessively sleepy than exercisers.
Approximately six of ten non-exercisers say they rarely or never have a good night’s sleep on weeknights.
One in seven non-exercisers report having trouble staying awake while driving, eating or engaging in social activity at least once per week in the past two weeks.
In exercisers, the risk of sleep apnea (a medical condition where people stop breathing during sleep and that increases the risk for heart disease and stroke) is half that of non-exercisers.
Contrary to common perception, the poll found that the time of day you exercise doesn’t affect your sleep patterns.

Unfortunately, a lack of sleep can make people less inclined to exercise. No exercise and not enough sleep can turn into a vicious cycle, says Dr. Kline.

So, what can you do to start sleeping better? Dr. Kline says making small changes, such as incorporating a short 10-minute walk into your day, can make a huge difference. Although vigorous exercise is best, even light exercise is better than nothing.