Not getting good sleep? Exercise is the answer!

I awakened by 5 am the last two days. There are many causes of poor sleep, but when we have tried everything else (avoid alcohol after 7 pm, avoid late screen time, avoid naps), it's time to make sure our body is physically read for sleep. So this morning, I went for a run. I don't run everyday, and I find I don't need to run far. Today, I ran 1 mile which took me about 20 minutes. I take the dog and we walk part of the time.

Since we are basically homebound, I also did yoga for 20 minutes, and I expect to take a walk this evening of 30-45 minutes. Usually, I have a 15-minute walk to and from the car everyday, so exercise is built into my day. But confined to the home, I try to be more deliberate about it.

Another strategy is to march in place while watching TV. Research shows that exercising can improve your sleep (Yang et al., 2012), so try some exercise today before you move on to medications.

Yang, P. Y., Ho, K.H., Chen, H. C., Chien, M. Y. (2012). Exercise training improves sleep quality in middle-aged and older adults with sleep problems: a systematic review. Journal of Physiotherapy, 58(3), 157-163. https://doi.org/10.1016/S183

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