Health
To improve your sleep, do this activity before bed, experts suggest
Restful sleep could be a few squats away.
Participating in evening exercise could help promote better rest at night, according to new research published in the journal BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine.
In particular, short bouts of resistance or strength training at night — including exercises like squats, calf raises and standing knee raises — were found to have a positive impact on sleep quality and quantity.
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In the randomized trial, 28 participants each completed one of two four-hour sessions.
One consisted of prolonged sitting. In the other session, the participants sat but took breaks every half-hour to complete three minutes of bodyweight resistance exercises.
Evening exercise has the potential to improve a person’s sleep period and total sleep time, the study revealed. (iStock)
The regular activity breaks were shown to increase average sleep period time and time spent asleep by nearly 30 minutes.
The New Zealand-based researchers did not note a significant effect on mean sleep efficiency (the ratio of total sleep time to total time in bed), wake after sleep onset (the total amount of time that a person is awake after having initially fallen asleep) or the number of awakenings during the night.
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“Performing bodyweight resistance exercise activity breaks in the evening has the potential to improve sleep period and total sleep time, and does not disrupt other aspects of sleep quality or subsequent 24-hour physical activity,” the researchers concluded.
Health benefits of evening exercise
Sleep expert Dr. Wendy Troxel, a senior behavioral and social scientist at the Rand Corporation in Utah, called this study “really exciting” in an interview with Fox News Digital.
Troxel considered the findings “particularly notable,” as there has been “controversy” surrounding the optimal timing and intensity of exercise in relation to sleep.
Walking in the evening, particularly after dinner, has a plethora of benefits, according to experts. (iStock)
“These are very short bouts of relatively low-intensity physical activity that anyone could do in their evening hours,” she said.
“And I think it really speaks to the potential harms of extended periods of sedentary activity.”
“Whether you’re old or young, we see benefits of exercise after dinner in particular.”
Being excessively sedentary comes with a “number of health consequences,” the expert warned, including a 30% increased mortality risk.
“So, this suggests that just little bouts of physical activity in the evening hours, to get you off the couch and moving … could have benefits for your sleep and your health more globally,” Troxel added.
Short breaks of light physical activity leading to better sleep speaks to the “harms of extended periods of sedentary activity,” said a sleep expert. (iStock)
Celebrity personal trainer Kollins Ezekh in Los Angeles confirmed that evening exercise can help promote better sleep by reducing stress and anxiety.
“Physical activity triggers the release of endorphins and serotonin, which naturally helps to calm the mind and body,” he told Fox News Digital.
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Exercising before bedtime can also lower the body’s core temperature, signaling that it’s time for rest, according to the fitness expert.
“Plus, the natural fatigue from a good workout makes it easier to fall asleep,” he added.
In addition to improving sleep, evening exercise can also reduce stress levels, boost metabolism and improve digestion, according to Ezekh.
A personal trainer recommends doing yoga or Pilates in the evening as a way to stretch and relax before bedtime. (iStock)
Troxel agreed that engaging in small exercise breaks can tire out the body without causing pain or overstimulation.
“It helps to prepare your body and your brain by reducing stress and expending some energy for a good night’s sleep,” she said.
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Small bouts of activity will also help the brain separate pre-bedtime activities from actual bedtime, she added.
“If you’re just sitting on the couch doing nothing for hours prior to bedtime, it’s hard for the brain to distinguish, ‘OK, bed is the time for real rest and restoration,’” she said.
Best exercises for nighttime
To avoid overstimulation, Ezekh recommended choosing low- to moderate-intensity exercises in the evening.
These might include yoga or Pilates that focus on mindful breathing, stretching and relaxation, “which can help you unwind before bed,” he said, as well as light cardio.
“Keeping the intensity moderate ensures that your body can relax into sleep rather than being wired,” said one expert. (iStock)
“A brisk walk or easy cycling can help burn off energy without making you too energized before sleep,” the trainer added.
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Bodyweight exercises such as squats, lunges or push-ups are also a great option, Ezekh said.
“Physical activity triggers the release of endorphins and serotonin, which naturally helps to calm the mind and body.”
Dr. Tina Sadarangani, nurse practitioner and assistant professor at the NYU College of Nursing, told Fox News Digital that everyone should engage in low-impact exercise, like brisk walks, after the last meal of the day.
“Whether you’re old or young, we see benefits of exercise after dinner in particular,” she said.
“We get steadier blood sugar, smoother digestion and a happier mood, and I can’t think of a single population that wouldn’t benefit from that.”
An expert suggests that everyone should engage in low-impact exercise before bed. (iStock)
In addition to movement before bed, Sadarangani recommends avoiding screen exposure before bedtime, along with stimulants like caffeine, alcohol, or tobacco and nicotine products.
It’s also important to create an environment that’s conducive to slumber, she added.
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“We have to give our bodies the signal that it’s time to sleep.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the study researchers for comment.
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A new report by the American Heart Association (AHA) included some troubling predictions for the future of women’s health.
The forecast, published in the journal Circulation on Wednesday, projected increases in various comorbidities in American females by 2050.
More than 59% of women were predicted to have high blood pressure, up from less than 49% currently.
The review also projected that more than 25% of women will have diabetes, compared to about 15% today, and more than 61% will have obesity, compared to 44% currently.
As a result of these risk factors, the prevalence of cardiovascular disease and stroke is expected to rise to 14.4% from 10.7%.
The prevalence of cardiovascular disease and stroke in women is expected to rise to 14.4% from 10.7% by 2050. (iStock)
Not all trends were negative, as unhealthy cholesterol prevalence is expected to drop to about 22% from more than 42% today, the report stated.
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Dr. Elizabeth Klodas, a cardiologist and founder of Step One Foods in Minnesota, commented on these “jarring findings.”
“The fact that on our current trajectory, cardiometabolic disease is projected to explode in women within one generation should be a huge wake-up call,” she told Fox News Digital.
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“Hypertension, diabetes, obesity — these are all major risk factors for heart disease, and we are already seeing what those risks are driving. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, eclipsing all other causes of death, including breast cancer.”
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for women in the U.S. and around the world. (iStock)
Klodas warned that heart disease starts early, progresses “stealthily,” and can present “out of the blue in devastating ways.”
The AHA published another study on Thursday revealing one million hospitalizations, showing that heart attack deaths are climbing among adults below the age of 55.
The more alarming finding, according to Klodas, is that young women were found more likely to die after their first heart attack than men of the same age.
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“This is all especially tragic since heart disease is almost entirely preventable,” she said. “The earlier you start, the better.”
Children can show early evidence of plaque deposition in their arteries, which can be reversed through lifestyle changes if “undertaken early enough and aggressively enough,” according to the expert.
Moving more is one part of protecting a healthy heart, according to experts. (iStock)
Klodas suggested that rising heart conditions are associated with traditional risk factors, like smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle.
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Doctors are also seeing higher rates of preeclampsia, or high blood pressure during pregnancy, as well as gestational diabetes. Klodas noted that these are sex-specific risk factors that don’t typically contribute to complications until after menopause.
The best way to protect a healthy heart is to “do the basics,” Klodas recommended, including the following lifestyle habits.
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Klodas especially emphasized making improvements to diet, as the food people eat affects “every single risk factor that the AHA’s report highlights.”
“High blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, excess weight – these are all conditions that are driven in part or in whole by food,” she said. “We eat multiple times every single day, which means what we eat has profound cumulative effects over time.”
“Even a small improvement in dietary intake, when maintained, can have a massive positive impact on health,” a doctor said. (iStock)
“Even a small improvement in dietary intake, when maintained, can have a massive positive impact on health.”
The doctor also recommends changing out a few snacks per day for healthier choices, which has been proven to “yield medication-level cholesterol reductions” in a month.
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“Keep up that small change and, over the course of a year, you could also lose 20 pounds and reduce your sodium intake enough to avoid blood pressure-lowering medications,” Klodas added.
“Women should not view the AHA report as inevitable. We have power over our health destinies. We just need to use it.”
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Nearsightedness (myopia) is skyrocketing globally, with nearly half of the world’s population expected to be myopic by 2050, according to the World Health Organization.
Heavy use of smartphones and other devices is associated with an 80% higher risk of myopia when combined with excessive computer use, but a new study suggests that dim indoor lighting could also be a factor.
For years, scientists have been puzzled by the different ways myopia is triggered. In lab settings, it can be induced by blurring vision or using different lenses. Conversely, it can be slowed by something as simple as spending time outdoors, research suggests.
Nearsightedness occurs when the eyeball grows too long from front to back, according to the American Optometric Association (AOA). This physical elongation causes light to focus in front of the retina rather than directly on it, making distant objects appear blurry.
The study suggests that myopia isn’t caused by the digital devices themselves, but by the low-light environments where they are typically used. (iStock)
Researchers at the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Optometry identified a potential specific trigger for this growth. When someone looks at a phone or a book up close, the pupil naturally constricts.
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“In bright outdoor light, the pupil constricts to protect the eye while still allowing ample light to reach the retina,” Urusha Maharjan, a SUNY Optometry doctoral student who conducted the study, said in a press release.
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“When people focus on close objects indoors, such as phones, tablets or books, the pupil can also constrict — not because of brightness, but to sharpen the image,” she went on. “In dim lighting, this combination may significantly reduce retinal illumination.”
High-intensity natural light prevents myopia because it provides enough retinal stimulation to override the “stop growing” signal, even when pupils are constricted. (iStock)
The hypothesis suggests that when the retina is deprived of light during extended close-up work, it sends a signal for the eye to grow.
In a dim environment, the narrowed pupil allows so little light through that the retinal activity isn’t strong enough to signal the eye to stop growing, the researchers found.
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In contrast, being outdoors provides light levels much brighter than indoors. This ensures that even when the pupil narrows to focus on a nearby object, the retina still receives a strong signal, maintaining healthy eye development.
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The team noted some limitations of the study, including the small subject group and the inability to directly measure internal lens changes, as the bright backgrounds used to mimic the outdoors made pupils too small for standard equipment.
Researchers believe that increasing indoor brightness during close-up work could be a simple, testable way to slow the global nearsightedness epidemic. (iStock)
“This is not a final answer,” Jose-Manuel Alonso, MD, PhD, SUNY distinguished professor and senior author of the study, said in the release.
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“But the study offers a testable hypothesis that reframes how visual habits, lighting and eye focusing interact.”
The study was published in the journal Cell Reports.
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