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Exercise 'allows body to sleep deeper, wake up more refreshed'
Author: Jonathan Warren
The importance of movement and exercise has been highlighted in a recent study on sleep. USA Today's Sleep Matters column revealed the latest research statistics after a test looked at the sleep of serious athletes who would run 10,000 meters daily, comparing it to those who do not.
As all subjects slept, each person was exposed to a noise stimulus. While it was not loud enough to wake the individual, it would produce an interruption in their sleeping patterns. Changes were measured by looking at brainwaves, which would shift even if a person did not wake up. Snoring, crying babies, pain, telephone ringers and heartburn are traditionally considered as key stimulators in this sense.
Researchers discovered that athletes, despite being exposed to these stimuli, woke up feeling refreshed while the average person who did not exercise in the same way opened their eyes "feeling terrible".
The report emphasised the importance of exercise for good sleep, but added: "The important thing is to make sure not to exercise too close to bedtime. If we do, it takes too long for the body's temperature to cool down and sleep actually takes longer to arrive."
