Exercise and sleep are both essential for our health. Exercise keeps us physically fit and strong, while sleep allows our bodies and minds to heal and recharge.
Exercise and sleep can be viewed as each other’s opposites. One is all about activity, while the other is about rest. However, the two are far more closely connected than people realize. Let’s take a look at the bidirectional relationship between exercise and sleep.
Exercising to Promote Healthy Sleep
Sleep is all about relaxing and clearing our minds. It’s a unique state of being that can often be used to perform spiritual feats such as astral projection (click here to learn more), but one that is absolutely vital to our health and well-being.
We live increasingly sedentary lives in our modern world. In the ancient past, humans were hunter-gatherers who relied on their physical fitness, and in the not-so-distant past, the majority of us worked manual jobs. Today, many of us work sitting down at computers, a far cry from the physical lifestyle our ancestors would have been used to.
What this means is that we are getting far less exercise, which can impact the quality of our sleep. A lack of exercise has been linked to an increase in the prevalence of sleep disorders like insomnia, which can have devastating effects on our physical and mental health.
Conversely, getting plenty of exercise can promote healthy sleep. There are numerous studies that have shown this to be the case; exercise can establish a positive sleep cycle and make it easier to fall asleep at night.
Poor Sleep Leads to a Lack of Exercise
If you aren’t getting enough good quality sleep, your physical and mental health can be affected. You can suffer from cognitive problems and have a weakened immune system.
One interesting effect that a lack of quality sleep can have is a reduction in the desire and ability to exercise. This can be due to the physical feelings of tiredness that lack of sleep can cause, as well as the mental health impact.
What this does is create a cycle. Exercise is one of the best ways to improve sleep quality, but poor sleep leads to a reduced ability to exercise. This cycle can be difficult to break and becomes increasingly so the longer it goes on.
Healthy Sleep Makes Us More Likely to Exercise
On the other hand, there is evidence to suggest that getting regular good quality sleep makes us more likely to exercise. This is the complete opposite of the effect described above; the better sleep you have the more likely you are to exercise, which in turn helps improve your sleep even further.
Conclusion
Exercise and sleep might seem like complete opposites, but in fact, the two are very closely related and share a bidirectional relationship. Getting more exercise can help promote healthy sleep, which in turn can make us more likely to exercise. However, a lack of exercise can lead to poor quality sleep, which can reduce the amount of exercise we do.
