The fact that exercise and sleep are both critical to your health and wellness likely doesn’t come as any form of a surprise. This has been known for thousands of years and nothing has changed in that sense. However, what many of us don’t realize is how heavily linked they are.
Exercise and Sleep are a Surprising Team
New research has discovered ways that exercise and sleep benefit you that you might not be expecting. Some of the ways that they are connected can seem relatively obvious. That said, the new discoveries from The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University in China have revealed important new details.
On the more obvious side, sleep helps to recharge you, providing you with more energy. As a result, it can feel easier to motivate yourself to be active, and you’ll be more energized to exercise. Conversely, after exercising and using your muscles and respiratory system, it can be easier to sleep at night. This is particularly true when you work the anxiety- and depression-busting benefits of exercise into the mix.
However, the relationship doesn’t stop there. It’s not just about whether you’re energized or sleepy! It’s not even just about proper weight management and the benefits that has to sleeping at night and exercising during the day.
Creating a Healthy Balance
The research team that conducted the recent study was led by Dr. Jihui Zhang. They discovered that even if you don’t always get a great rest every night, by living an active lifestyle, you can help to counteract the negative effects.
Sleeping too little can lead to a spectrum of negative health consequences, including shortening your life. However, what the researchers found was that the relationship between exercise and sleep extends to that area of a person’s heath. By living a regularly active lifestyle, you can counteract some of the negative impacts of sleeping badly, helping to improve your wellness and longevity.
Being regularly physically active directly decreased the mortality risks linked with oversleeping or sleeping too little, said Dr. Jihui Zhang in a media release announcing the publication of the study.
While high quality exercise and sleep are the ideal when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle, the good news is that if you find yourself struggling to get the rest you need for a while, keeping up those workouts and your overall active lifestyle can help to counteract health benefits you might otherwise have experienced.
Of course, this can be easier said than done if you’re feeling tired all the time and are facing an intense gym session, but when it comes to your long-term health, it may be worth your while to find the motivation to do it. A nighttime sleep aid can also help you to make sure you are doing everything you can to overcome occasional bouts of sleeplessness as well.