Wellness

Can’t Sleep After an Evening Workout? Follow These Tips to Power Down You planned to exercise earlier in the day, but life got in the way. Now you finally have time to squeeze in a workout, but it’s getting close to bedtime — and you’re worried that late-night activity will mess with your ability to fall asleep. You don’t want to be on a post-exercise endorphin kick at midnight, but you don’t want to skip a workout either — so what should you do? Here are some tips for when you can’t sleep after a workout. How Exercise Affects Your Sleep Habits For the most part, exercise and sleep have a positive impact on one another — research suggests people who sleep better tend to exercise, and vice versa. That said, exercise — especially high-intensity exercise — affects the body in a way that can make it tricky for some of us to get to sleep quickly afterward. When you work out, your metabolism and heart rate temporarily increase, which also bring an increase in nervous system activity, says Jeffrey Potteiger, Ph.D., associate vice provost of graduate school and professor in the department of movement science at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. These increases can keep your body in a heightened state, which delays your body’s process of preparing for sleep. 3 Remedies if You Can’t Sleep After a Workout “It takes two to three hours to power down after a workout,” Potteiger says. But tere are a few simple sleep routine tips you can use to get your body sleep-ready after a late-night exercise session. 1. Cool down (literally) As your body prepares for sleep, your core temperature drops. This signals to your brain that it’s nearly bedtime, says W. Chris Winter, M.D., sleep specialist and author of The Sleep Solution: Why Your Sleep is Broken and How to Fix It. Your body’s sleep-inducing chemicals won’t kick in until your body temperature drops — so if you’re still sweating from your late-night HIIT workout, that could delay your bedtime. To keep heat from messing with your sleep, focus on cooling down as quickly as possible after your workout. Winter suggests taking a lukewarm shower and drinking a glass of cold water. And make sure your bedroom environment is cool enough to encourage sleep. According to Winter, most of us fare well when temps are right around 68° F. If you can’t get your bedroom to an optimal temperature, look to the latest sleep tech — like sweat-wicking sheets and temperature-regulating pillows — to help cool you down. 2. Minimize light Light plays a major role in sleep regulation, and blue light, in particular, has a powerful effect on your circadian rhythm. In the morning, blue light from the sun helps wake you up. At night, however, blue light sends the wrong message: “It convinces your brain that the sun is rising again, which tends to block melatonin,” Winter says. (Melatonin is the hormone that regulates your sleep-wake cycles and helps you feel sleepy at bedtime.) Unfortunately, blue light is the bane of most people’s sleep hygiene: It’s everywhere — your phone, your laptop, your tablet, your TV, and fluorescent and LED lighting. Ideally, you should shut off screens about three hours before bedtime. If that’s not possible — maybe you stream your workouts online, or you just can’t resist scrolling through social media before bed — Winter recommends wearing blue-blocking glasses for three hours before bed. Research suggests this timing can help your sleep habits. One study found that adults who wore blue-blocking glasses for three hours before bed saw greater improvements in sleep quality by the end of three weeks than those who didn’t. And a study of teenage boys who used blue-blocking glasses during evening screen time revealed similar findings. 3. Meditate Research suggests that meditation can affect sleep habits. One study found that sleep-disturbed adults who followed a six-week mindfulness meditation program saw greater improvements in sleep quality, mood, and daytime energy than those who followed a six-week sleep education program. If you’re new to the practice, try a guided meditation. BODi’s Sound Meditation program features four categories of meditation, to help you relax, unwind, and get better quality sleep. Otherwise, simply take five minutes post-workout to sit in a quiet area and focus on relaxing your muscles. Start from your toes and progress to your head, Winter says. Or, choose an activity that you find relaxing and meditative — “Something you can get in the habit of doing as soon as the exercise is over to paint a picture for your nervous system that it’s time to start turning off,” Winter says. Just make sure you choose an activity that will calm you down, not rev you up — in other words, this may not be the best time to “relax” by catching up on The Walking Dead. The post Can’t Sleep After an Evening Workout? Follow These Tips to Power Down appeared first on BODi. You planned to exercise earlier in the day, but life got in the way. Now you finally have time to squeeze in a workout, but it’s getting close to bedtime — and you’re worried that late-night activity will mess with your ability to fall asleep. You don’t want to be on a post-exercise endorphin kick […] The post Can’t Sleep After an Evening Workout? Follow These Tips to Power Down appeared first on BODi. Kayne Toyosato{authorlink}https://www.beachbodyondemand.com/blog/cant-sleep-after-workoutBODi BODi is a Health Esteem platform to help you embrace the person you are today so you can take action to achieve all your health and fitness goals. https://bodiblog.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/plugins/bod-blog/assets/vendor/beachbodydigital/wordpress-core-plugins/beachbody.png

7 Breathing Techniques to Help You Sleep Like a Baby You may not need pills, drinks, or weighted blankets to help you fall asleep faster. You may not even need to spend a cent — simply harness the power of your breath. Certain breathing techniques for sleep may help you get a good night’s rest. Research shows that deep, slow breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system — the “rest and digest” part of the nervous system — and reduces activity of the “fight or flight” sympathetic nervous system. This has several sleep benefits. “When we regulate our breath, we turn our attention to our breath and bodies, which helps us release outside distractions and find a calmer state,” says yoga instructor Jamie King, E-RYT 500. It also helps reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol and increase levels of melatonin, which regulates the sleep-wake cycle. Ready to give it a shot? King recommends trying these breathing techniques for sleep as part of your bedtime routine. 1. 4-7-8 Technique “When your exhale is longer than your inhale, you help reduce the activation of your stress state and encourage your body to move into a thrive state,” King says. Here’s how to do the 4-7-8 breathing technique: Find a comfortable position sitting or lying down. Inhale through your nose as you count to four. Pause when your lungs are full, and hold the breath as you count to seven. Slowly exhale through your nose as you count to eight. Repeat these steps for several rounds or minutes. If 4-7-8 feels too long, begin with a 3-4-5 pattern and work up from there, King says. 2. 4×4 Technique Also called box breathing, the 4×4 breathing exercise helps “quiet the mind with a task,” says yoga teacher and reiki practitioner Ariele Lanning, E-RYT 200, while also shifting you toward a parasympathetic state. Here’s how to do it: Find a comfortable position sitting or lying down. Inhale through your nose as you count to four. Pause when your lungs are full and hold the breath as you count to four. Slowly exhale through your nose as you count to four. Pause when your lungs are empty and hold the exhale as you count to four. Repeat these steps for several rounds or a few minutes. 3. Bhramari Pranayama (Humming Bee Breath) In a 2021 study, practicing bhramari pranayama (also called humming bee breath) for six weeks helped improve sleep quality and reduce stress in students. Here’s how to do it: Find a comfortable seated position. Take four slow, deep breaths to ground yourself. Inhale and, on the exhale, make a low-pitched tone (like a bumble bee buzzing). Note how the sound resonates throughout your body as you do this. Repeat for about five to 10 breaths. Finish the practice by taking four slow, deep breaths. 4. Diaphragmatic Breathing This breathing technique for sleep helps lower cortisol, reduce anxiety, and, according to a 2021 study of 140 nurses, improve sleep quality. Lanning explains how to do belly breathing: Lie down on your back and place your hands on your lower abdomen. Inhale, slowly drawing your breath into the lower belly, feeling it press into your hands — your chest should barely move. Exhale slowly, feeling your stomach fall away from your hands. Continue this deep diaphragmatic breathing for several minutes. 5. Three-Part Method Once you feel comfortable with diaphragmatic breathing, you can take it to the next step with this practice to promote a sense of calm, Lanning says. Lie down on your back and place your hands on your lower abdomen. Start with three diaphragmatic breaths. On the next breath, inhale deeply and slowly. Aim to fill your diaphragm one-third of the way into the breath. On the same inhale, begin filling your rib cage on the next third of the breath. On the final third of the inhale, fill your chest. Let the exhale happen just as slowly, releasing in the opposite direction: First your chest, then your rib cage, then your belly. Repeat this slow inhale and exhale for several rounds or minutes. 6. Alternate-Nostril Breathing This breathing technique helps lower heart rate and may reduce anxiety. “Alternate-nostril breathing helps you focus on breathing through the nose, which helps to bring our body to a more relaxed state and prepare for sleep,” King says. Here’s how to do it: Find a comfortable position sitting or lying down. With your right hand, bend your index and middle fingers or rest them gently on your forehead. Then place your right thumb and ring finger on either side of your nose. Take a few regular breaths. Close your right nostril with your thumb and inhale through your left nostril. Close your left nostril with your ring finger and open your right nostril to exhale. Then inhale through just the right nostril. Close your right nostril and open your left nostril to exhale. Then inhale through just the left nostril. Continue repeating this pattern for several rounds or minutes. Complete the practice with a few deep breaths. 7. Sound Meditation You might also want to consider sleep meditation. These practices help quiet your mind so it’s easier to doze off. BODi’s Sound Meditation, led by international sound meditation facilitator and musician Scarlett de la Torre, uses various instruments to create a “sound bath” that promotes relaxation. The post 7 Breathing Techniques to Help You Sleep Like a Baby appeared first on BODi. You may not need pills, drinks, or weighted blankets to help you fall asleep faster. You may not even need to spend a cent — simply harness the power of your breath. Certain breathing techniques for sleep may help you get a good night’s rest. Research shows that deep, slow breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous […] The post 7 Breathing Techniques to Help You Sleep Like a Baby appeared first on BODi. Kayne Toyosato{authorlink}https://www.beachbodyondemand.com/blog/breathing-techniques-for-sleepBODi BODi is a Health Esteem platform to help you embrace the person you are today so you can take action to