You Asked: Will Working Out at Night Make Falling Asleep Difficult?
You're asking and I'm answering . . .
Hey Fit,
I just started a new job that makes it impossible to exercise in the morning like I used to (I'd have to wake up at 4 am, which is just not going to happen). So in order to fit my workouts in, I have to hit the gym from 7 to 8 p.m. Since I get up so early, I like to be in bed before 10, but will working out late make it hard for me to fall asleep?
—Need My Sleep Sally
I don't blame you for not wanting to wake up at the crack of dawn to exercise, and you should be proud of yourself for trying to fit it in to your busy schedule instead of skipping out on it entirely. Although evening workouts may not be your first choice, there are definitely some benefits. Now you can hit the gym and not feel rushed to get to work. Your late night workouts may even be more productive and your risk for injury may be reduced because you're more awake.
So will it affect your ability to fall asleep? To find out read more.
Well that answer depends on what kind of exercise you're doing and what happens in the time between the end of your workout and your bedtime. You can definitely do any type of cardio, strength training, and stretching, but you may want to do them in that exact order, with cardio first since it's the most active and requires the most energy. If you do 30 minutes of cardio, then you have 15 minutes to do some lower impact strength exercises, and then you can cool down with 15 minutes of stretching. In order to have energy to workout and not be starving afterwards, make sure you eat a healthy dinner around 5 or 6 p.m. Then after your workout, you can have a light snack if you're hungry. You want to avoid eating a big meal since that may keep you up. When you get home, take a nice hot shower or bath to calm you down, and I'm sure expending all that energy at the gym will make you sleepy by 10 p.m.
I'd give this new schedule a try. It may take your body a few weeks to adjust to the new workout time, but after a while, I'm sure you won't miss those old morning workouts.
