Short bursts of activity in evening could help you sleep longer, research shows

BOSTON -- Study finds that doing short bursts of activity in the evening may help you sleep longer.

In the past, exercise has often been discouraged right before bed and thought to be disruptive to sleep. However, a new study from the University of Otago in New Zealand found that periodically moving in the hours before bedtime could be beneficial.

Researchers had participants complete two four-hour sessions in the evening with either prolonged sitting or sitting interrupted by three-minute activity breaks every half hour -- including chair squats, calf raises, and standing knee raises.

They found that those who did these activity breaks, which required no equipment and could be done while still watching TV, slept 30 minutes longer. Researchers say you could probably choose to do other activities to get the same benefit, like walking around the house, marching in one spot, or even dancing in your living room. 

In:
• Health
• Exercise
• Sleep

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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