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More exercise = less sleep?


Laura Corin
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I've been exercising more for the last month: making sure that I get my 10,000 steps a day, including at least thirty minutes of very fast walking.  I also do a yoga class once a week.  It's going well.

 

When I started the new schedule, I initially had very vivid, often disturbing dreams.  That has died down, but I am sleeping less that I used:  I aim for 8 hours sleep but I often wake after 7 1/2 now - before my alarm, which I never used to.  I feel tired at the end of the day but rested when I wake.  

 

Any idea why I am sleeping less?  I thought it would be more, as I am getting more physically tired.

 

 

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You could be sleeping deeper - but I think a mere 30 minutes is just a fluctuation, since it's not really that much vigorous exercise; I would be surprised if that could drastically alter sleep patterns.

There could be other factors: you eat differently because of your exercising, and then, of course, daylight duration is growing at this time a year. If you exercise outside, you would produce more vitamin D which would reduce fatigue.

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As long as you feel rested enough I wouldn't worry. Fwiw my sleep is totally whacked out often these days(thyroid and hormones) and I've figured out it has a lot less to do with how much I sleep than how deep I sleep. I go through spells of sleeping 9+hrs and being tired and spells of sleeping 7 and feeling good (I also have spells of sleeping 4 and being wired but those aren't good days). It seems that around 7ish is right about right, assuming that I'm sleeping deep. 

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You could be sleeping deeper - but I think a mere 30 minutes is just a fluctuation, since it's not really that much vigorous exercise; I would be surprised if that could drastically alter sleep patterns.

There could be other factors: you eat differently because of your exercising, and then, of course, daylight duration is growing at this time a year. If you exercise outside, you would produce more vitamin D which would reduce fatigue.

 

I think that what is surprising me is that I am waking before the alarm - I'll edit my first post to make that clear.

 

L

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That's great! It is probably because your sleep is more restful. Which, again, can be partially due to exercise, but maybe also the other factors. For me, time outside is key.

 

It think I find time outside very relaxing - I've definitely been feeling that.  A good proportion of my walking is still done in the dark, but the days are growing apace, so I'm feeling optimistic.  My silly Fitbit is highly impressed by my 'sleep efficiency' (I rarely wake and am rarely restless).  But I don't think that has changed from before.

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It think I find time outside very relaxing - I've definitely been feeling that.  A good proportion of my walking is still done in the dark, but the days are growing apace, so I'm feeling optimistic.  My silly Fitbit is highly impressed by my 'sleep efficiency' (I rarely wake and am rarely restless).  But I don't think that has changed from before.

 

Walking outside makes a big difference to me. When I put in my 10k steps at work, I'm just bone tired- but when I get to walk outside, it's different.

 

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It think I find time outside very relaxing - I've definitely been feeling that.  A good proportion of my walking is still done in the dark, but the days are growing apace, so I'm feeling optimistic.  My silly Fitbit is highly impressed by my 'sleep efficiency' (I rarely wake and am rarely restless).  But I don't think that has changed from before.

LOL, well I had a fitbit in the midst of having a very wakeful baby. I remember seeing I had woke up been woken up 16x a night, it was just depressing. Sounds like you are sleeping well, all the better to wake before the alarm. Seems like a positive change to me.

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