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5 min read<\/p>\n5 min read<\/p>\n
For me, the hardest part about working out is finding the time to actually do it. I\u2019m decidedly not an early riser<\/a>. I\u2019m not even someone who gets out of bed when her alarm goes off. Instead, I prefer a slow morning<\/a> where I hit snooze, scroll social media, and leisurely make my way to the kitchen to have breakfast. As you can imagine, my mornings aren\u2019t quite conducive to getting out the door and going on a run<\/a> or heading to the gym<\/a>. <\/p>\n Really, my only option is to work out at night\u2014but it\u2019s a controversial choice. Sure, there\u2019s something about waiting until basically the last possible second to finally cross a workout off your list that\u2019s stressful, but for me it\u2019s also a way to end my day on a high note. Still, I\u2019m envious of the morning exercisers who preach the benefits of AM activity<\/a> and wonder if my PM habits have any effect on my sleep<\/a>, which is the biggest reason people try to avoid an evening sweat session. <\/p>\n And, while I don\u2019t really see myself changing anytime soon, I\u2019d like to at least know: how bad is it really to work out at night? Here\u2019s what experts say. <\/p>\n Meet the experts: <\/strong>Jingyi Qian<\/a>, PhD, is a sleep scientist at Mass General Brigham and associate director of the Medical Chronobiology Program, Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders at Brigham and Women\u2019s Hospital. Josh Leota<\/a>, PhD, is a sleep and circadian scientist and researcher at Monash University, Brigham Women\u2019s Hospital, and WHOOP. <\/p>\n How Evening Workouts Affect Your Sleep<\/strong><\/p>\n The idea that working out in the evening can affect your sleep isn\u2019t totally out-there. When you\u2019re exercising, you\u2019re activating your sympathetic nervous system<\/a> (a.k.a. your \u201cfight or flight\u201d response) and raising your core body temperature\u2014both of which can have a negative effect on sleep, says Jingyi Qian, PhD, a sleep scientist at Mass General Brigham. When you work out, your heart rate gets elevated and your respiratory system works harder, which are two things you want to slow before rest. Plus, other environmental factors related to exercise (like bright lights<\/a>, loud noises, and sports drinks that contain caffeine) can all have an effect on winding down, she says. <\/p>\n That doesn\u2019t mean all hope is lost, though. In fact, the research is mixed about just how bad working out at night is for your sleep. Multiple<\/a> meta-analyses<\/a> have concluded that evening exercise doesn\u2019t impact sleep quality, with some researchers arguing for change on public health guidance<\/a>. <\/p>\n Related Stories<\/p>\n But, if you\u2019ve ever had a long night following a later-than-usual Barry\u2019s class, you might not be so convinced. That\u2019s because, according to new research, there are certain caveats when it comes to exercise timing and sleep. \u201cIt really comes down to when and how hard you exercise,\u201d says Josh Leota, PhD, a sleep and circadian scientist at Monash University in Australia. Per Leota\u2019s recent study in Nature Communications<\/a>, strenuous exercise done too close to bedtime can impact your sleep, but it has to be in that sweet spot of both too intense and too late for it to matter. <\/p>\n Basically, the more demanding the workout, the longer you\u2019re going to need before trying to get to sleep. \u201cThe harder you work out, the more activated your body becomes and your nervous system is in a more alert, amped up state,\u201d Leota says. \u201cYour body will recover from that, but the key point is that the time it takes to settle back down is proportional to how hard the workout was.\u201d <\/p>\n Light to moderate activities like a 30-minute jog shouldn\u2019t affect you if finished within 1-2 hours before bed, Leota says. On the other hand, an all-out maximum effort within two hours of bedtime is associated with a 36-minute later sleep onset and 22-minute shorter sleep duration, per Leota\u2019s research. <\/p>\n So, what does this mean for your nightly workouts? <\/strong><\/p>\n First and foremost, if you\u2019re a nighttime exerciser and you\u2019re not feeling an effect on your sleep, it\u2019s okay to stick with it. There\u2019s no reason to change if you\u2019re not experiencing a problem, Qian says. <\/p>\n But if you suspect your sleep is getting interrupted or you\u2019re an AM exerciser that needs to switch it up on occasion, make sure it wraps up an appropriate amount of time before heading to bed, consider opting for lower intensity exercises<\/a>, and be mindful of duration. Ultimately, you want to think about strain, Leota says. A short super intense workout will strain the body, but so will a long light to moderate workout. <\/p>\n
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