Best Time to Exercise for Deeper Sleep

The Optimal Moment for Workouts to Achieve Deep Sleep

Individual resting on a mat with arms lifted above, observed indoors by a window.

Choose gentler exercises if you are training near your sleep schedule.

Studies indicate that working out in the evening may shorten overall sleep duration.

It's advisable to form a routine of engaging in vigorous physical activities earlier in the day. This way, stress hormones from intense workouts are less likely to interfere with your slumber.

If morning workouts aren't feasible for you, try to exercise at least four hours before you sleep for improved rest, or consider brief, low-intensity workouts such as lunges and calf raises.

Engaging in physical activities can help you drift off faster and enhance sleep quality—but the timing is critical. Exercising too close to bedtime may aggravate sleep issues.1

The Optimal Time for Exercise Aligns with Your Biological Clock

This doesn't imply everyone should rise at 5 a.m. for a morning jog.

For every individual, the optimal period for physical activity aligns with their circadian rhythm. For instance, if someone has a circadian rhythm that aligns with a 9 p.m. bedtime and a 5 a.m.  "Awake, MD, a specialist in neurology and sleep medicine at Johns Hopkins Medical Center. and the morning presents an ideal opportunity for physical activity," states 

Most adults should aim for seven to nine hours of rest every night.2 However, if you typically go to bed at midnight, rising for a 5 a.m. workout would result in insufficient sleep. Exercising in the afternoon is an option as long as it's not too close to bedtime, she noted.

How Morning Workouts Can Enhance Your Sleep and Well-Being

Early risers might have the advantage, as maintaining a morning workout schedule provides various benefits for sleep and overall health:

Weight control: A 2020 review highlighted that regular morning exercise improved weight management among adults facing obesity.

Reduces sleep apnea risk: Weight reduction can minimize the likelihood of obstructive sleep apnea, a condition wherein a blocked airway leads to interruptions in breathing during sleep.

Elevates mood and energy: Exercising outdoors in natural morning light can also keep you more alert and foster a better mood, according to Rao.

Regulates your circadian rhythm: Exposure to light assists in regulating your body's 24-hour internal clock.

Should You Workout in the Morning or Evening?

How Much Time Before Sleep Should You Halt Exercising?

For the majority, engaging in vigorous exercise within four hours of sleep can disturb rest due to elevation in stress hormones that keep the mind awake, states Sairam Parthasarathy, MD,  head of the Center for Sleep and Circadian Sciences at the University of Arizona Health Sciences Yet, not everyone can fit their workouts in before sunset. Depending on your work hours and other commitments, you might only have the ability to exercise in the evening. If that’s the case, aim to finish your physical activities at least two hours before you sleep, Rao advised.

Your core body temperature naturally declines as you gear up for rest. However, exercising raises your temperature, which might interrupt this process.

"If you work out and then eat and then head to bed, that’s not advisable either because it’s important to eat three to four hours prior to sleep. Your circadian clock is very sensitive to temperature and food, and this might delay your sleeping schedule and affect sleep quality," she emphasized.

Some Evening Exercises Might Aid Sleep

While sleep experts typically suggest working out earlier in the day, some evidence implies that nighttime exercise doesn’t necessarily impair sleep. Research has shown that performing brief bodyweight workouts at night—like lunges and calf raises—can assist in promoting longer sleep. Specifically, standing and spending three minutes completing these exercises every half hour.

Additionally, a 2019 meta-analysis involving 23 studies indicated that, when comparing no exercise to a single session of evening fitness, the latter did not adversely affect sleep. However, undertaking a high-intensity workout less than an hour before bedtime appeared to negatively impact slumber.8 Another review from 2022 found that evening workouts do not disrupt sleep in healthy individuals.

"Everyone is unique, and we should test various timings to discover what works best. Even exercising close to bedtime (< 4 hours) might be effective for some, and if so, they should incorporate that into their regimen," Parthasarathy concluded.