INSOMNIA
Many aspects of your life can affect your ability to fall asleep and or stay asleep. One factor being your level of physical activity. When living a sedentary life, our body is not getting the exercise it needs.
Living sedentary
"Prolonged sedentary behavior tends to be associated with an elevated risk of insomnia and sleep disturbance." (Yang et al., 2016)
One problem that is developing with time in our society is screen-based sedentary habits. For example, watching television, working on a computer, playing on our phones. In addition to being sedentary, being in front of a screen is also affecting sleep patterns and disturbances. Since a lot of our lives are online it would be nearly impossible to stay away from screens entirely. However, trying our best to take breaks, limiting screen time a few hours before bed, and making sure we are taking care of our bodies overall.
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What can I do?
The CDC recommends 150 minutes of exercise every week. That could be a 30 minute walk around the block 5 days a week. This could be taking the dog on a walk, going the long route to the mailbox, parking in the back of parking lots, etc. You can complete these exercises in 5 minute increments because it all adds up!
"Aerobic physical activity is an effective treatment approach to improve sleep quality, mood and quality of life in older adults with chronic insomnia." (Reid et al., 2010)
Click here for more information about the CDC recommendations
Reid, Kathryn J, Baron, Kelly Glazer, Lu, Brandon, Naylor, Erik, Wolfe, Lisa, & Zee, Phyllis C. (2010). Aerobic exercise improves self-reported sleep and quality of life in older adults with insomnia. Sleep Medicine, 11(9), 934–940. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2010.04.014
Yang, Yan, Shin, Jong Cheol, Li, Dongying, & An, Ruopeng. (2016). Sedentary Behavior and Sleep Problems: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 24(4), 481–492. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12529-016-9609-0