We've already been told multiple times that exercise improves our general sleep. How many hours of sleep you need every night depends on your age but generally it is between 7-9 hours and 8 hours being the average for adults. Sleep can be affected negatively by various factors, such as blue light emitted by our screens, alcohol and a poor sleeping routine. So by incorporating exercise in your daily life, whether it's aerobic exercise or strength training you can drastically improve your sleep quality.
But in this article, we will focus more on the benefits of strength training and its effects on sleep.
What is strength training exactly?
It is any physical movement that involves using equipment or body weight to build strength, endurance and muscle mass. There are many ways to perform strength training exercises, for example you can use:
- Free weights: Weighted equipment such as dumbbells, barbells and kettlebells not bound to a surface that you can use to perform various exercises (such as bench press, deadlifts, squats and shoulder press)
- Body weight: Working against gravity and using your bodyweight to perform challenging exercises such as pushups, pullups, bodyweight squat, planks and sit-ups.
- Resistance bands: rubber bands that provide resistance when stretched.
- Weight machines: machines with adjustable weights or hydraulics attached to provide resistance and stress to the muscles.
When first starting with strength training, you have to perform exercises safely and effectively, so it is wise to master basic movement patterns first.
Bodyweight exercises can increase core stability and balance, after you feel comfortable enough you can try adding some resistance (weights, resistance bands and machines).
Choosing an appropriate volume and load is also essential to determine your fitness goal, it can be building muscle or increasing muscular endurance, in general you need to continuously challenge your muscles and put them under stress for growth.
Increasing weight over time which is also known as progressive overload is effective in gaining maximum strength and muscle and helps track your progress.
How does strength training affect your sleep routine?
Working out should not occur too late or too early during your day, in the morning the workout could drain your energy for the rest of the day and on the other hand training late in the day could also mean being tired after a long day of work and activities.
Another reason to not train too late, close to bedtime more specifically is that your body needs to be in a relaxed state to prepare for sleep, it takes a certain level of stimulation and excitement to commit to a good workout session and it takes the body time to come down from all the adrenaline released during your workout. So before you fall asleep you need to wind down and return to homeostasis.
Generally, all types of exercises are beneficial for sleep. A combination of strength training and aerobic or cardio exercise is the perfect recipe for a good sleep routine and to make sure that your body gets the rest it deserves, it is important to sleep on the right mattress.
At Vita Talalay, our goal is to provide a healthy sleep experience. We do so by making a product which is safe for both humans and the environment. In addition, the unique benefits of Vita Talalay latex allows your whole body to rest and rejuvenate. This way, you will always wake up refreshed and ready for your next workout session! Check out Vita Talalay mattresses
