The physical activity is one of the simplest and effective remedies exist against insomnia after training. Swimming, dancing, practicing yoga or meditation, it is proven that practicing physical activity or sports on a regular basis helps reduce stress levels and relax, so falling asleep at bedtime is much easier.
However, when the goal is to improve rest after exercise, it is not about playing sports blindly. There are some disciplines or activities that are more beneficial than others in this regard. In addition, factors such as the time they are practiced or the level of intensity also influence. Discover the best sports to combat insomnia, below.
Swimming
Who has not noticed how the body relaxes and sleep appears after a while at the beach or the pool? Water tends to have a calming effect on people’s bodies, and this makes swimming a great remedy for insomnia.
In addition, swimming is also a tremendously complete sport, which provides a huge number of benefits to the body without being a stress load like those of other high intensity sports. A few laps before heading home can be the best allies for both your muscles and your pillow.
Cycling
Another sport that can help a lot to relax and de-stress is cycling. A route that is not excessively demanding helps to empty the muscles of accumulated energy and to burn off stress, and all this without great moments of tension.
If you are going to launch yourself into mountain routes with a lot of intensity, try to plan your session early. If, on the other hand, it is an outing without steep slopes and at a moderate speed, you can get on the pedals even before dinner.
Yoga
The relaxing and de – stressing properties of yoga are no secret at this point. It is a discipline that eliminates accumulated tension in the body and incorporates proprioception and breathing control mechanics.
Thanks to this, yoga is very beneficial to rest properly even when practiced quite late.
Chi Kung
It is often called Tai Chi because of its close relationship with it, but there are important differences. While Tai Chi is actually a martial art, Chi Kung or Qi Gong is a therapeutic discipline, which combines breathing exercises and moving meditation.
Thanks to its mental work and its low physical intensity, it is very good to end stress and sleep well.
“In addition to the above, other gentle activities such as walking, dancing, doing a weight routine, or doing a stretching session can greatly help you fall asleep better. The important thing is that you look for an activity that is pleasant to you and does not speed you up.”
Recommendations to avoid insomnia if you practice sports
Once you’ve consulted this list of sports that will help you fight insomnia, let’s look at some general tips:
- Time of day: when it comes to resting properly, the time of day you exercise matters a lot. Performing demanding physical activity a few hours before bedtime will raise your heart rate and speed up your rhythm. Because of this, you could have trouble sleeping even if you are very tired. The best time to exercise is in the morning, or in the early afternoon. If the schedule does not allow it, look for spaces at noon or before going to work.
- Intensity: The level of intensity also has a great influence. The later you do your training session, the lower the intensity should be. Thus, the body does not accelerate and we can get rid of stress without activating so much. Despite the previous advice, at night you can practice very gentle activities such as walking at a slow pace or practicing yoga with very basic postures.