Scientists have pointed out the benefits of even 10 minutes of physical activity for sleep

Regular physical activity can be associated with better sleep, even if you can only set aside a few minutes a day for movement. The study found that people who engaged in physical activity more often spent more time in the recovery stages of sleep and felt better the next day. About how the regularity of movement is related to the quality of rest — in the material of Izvestia.

Why is regular physical activity important?

According to a study published in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health (JPAH), scientists studied the relationship between the frequency of physical activity and sleep patterns in students at the University of Texas at Austin. The participants wore wristbands for several months, which collected data on their movement and sleep under normal living conditions.

In contrast to the work devoted mainly to the total duration of training, the researchers focused on another question: does it matter how many days a week a person engages in physical activity or is it enough to complete the entire load in one or two days.

How movement is related to deep sleep

Participants who engaged in physical activity more often, on average, spent more time in the recovery stages of sleep without rapid eye movements. These include deep sleep, which is necessary for physical recovery and normal brain function. This stage is especially important in the early hours of the night, when the body is recovering from daytime physical and mental stress.

One of the results of the study was that the relationship with sleep quality was observed even with a relatively small amount of exercise. Among young adults, about ten minutes of moderate to intense physical activity per day was associated with better sleep patterns. At the same time, the study does not prove that such a duration is suitable for everyone or is guaranteed to improve rest.

For moderate or intense activity, it is not necessary to perform strenuous exercises. According to the researchers, during such a load, a person breathes more often than usual, but can still keep up a conversation. Lighter activity also made a difference: regular walks and breaks from sedentary work when a person gets up and moves were associated with healthier sleep patterns.

Scientists have studied the role of strength training for the body

How quality sleep is related to mood and energy

Researchers have found a link between the duration of sleep without rapid eye movements and well-being the next day. Participants who spent more time in these sleep stages reported feeling better and having more energy. More regular physical activity was also associated with less stress the next day.

Sleep is important not only for the feeling of rest after waking up. During it, the brain participates in consolidating memories and removing metabolic products that accumulate during the waking period.

Proper rest is also associated with emotional well-being. However, in this study, the researchers examined the relationships between activity, sleep, and well-being, rather than testing whether exercise prevented depression or chronic diseases.

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Why the conclusions have yet to be verified

The results may influence ideas about how best to distribute physical activity during the week. The World Health Organization and the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that adults gain about 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week. However, these recommendations do not necessarily require that the load be distributed evenly over all days.

The authors suggest that moving every day may be more beneficial for sleep than doing the entire amount of exercise over the weekend. But to test this assumption, it is necessary to compare people who perform the same total amount of work with different frequencies. The observational nature of the study does not allow us to establish that more frequent activity directly causes improved sleep.

In addition, students participated in the study, so it is not yet known whether the results will be the same for people of a different age and with a different level of physical activity. The team is preparing to study these patterns on a larger and more diverse group of participants.