When it comes to sleep, exercise can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, it’s reputed to improve sleep, but it’s also believed that exercise too close to bedtime can make shut-eye hard to come by.

Sleep is crucial to overall health and wellness, with seven to nine hours a night (seven to eight hours for adults older than 65) linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, accidents and injuries, and better cognitive and mental health. Yet 25 per cent of Canadians complain they’re not getting enough sleep.

Exercise is one of the strategies experts recommend when sleep is elusive. Studies overwhelmingly conclude that regular exercisers sleep better than their sedentary peers, a finding that remains consistent regardless of the age or sex of the study subjects. High levels of physical activity are almost always linked to sleep satisfaction.

But the jury is still out on the effects of a single bout of exercise. The impact of a workout on the same day’s sleep have been largely positive but less robust than results accumulated over the course of a regular fitness routine. Experts note that sleep study subjects are often young, fit, healthy and male, which isn’t representative of the population, especially those who have trouble sleeping.

“The majority of studies have focused on adults........

© Montreal Gazette