A recent study has found four specific types make the biggest impact.
We’ve known for a while that exercise can help combat sleep issues and, in turn, help you function at a better capacity. But a new study, recently published in the journal BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine, is giving us even more insight into the relationship between sleep and working out: certain kinds of exercise, we now know, are better at fighting the symptoms and side effects of insomnia than others. Namely yoga, tai chi, walking, and jogging may offer the biggest benefits—and the benefits associated with tai chi may even persist in the longer term.
Of course, insomnia can significantly impact many facets of life. It’s “more than just tossing and turning at night,” Joanna Fong-Isariyawongse, MD, a University of Pittsburgh Medical Center neurologist who specializes in sleep and epilepsy and an associate professor of neurology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, tells SELF. “When it sticks around, it can drain your energy, make it hard to concentrate, and leave you feeling foggy and forgetful.” From there. In turn, she says, “people with insomnia often struggle with work, relationships, and day-to-day tasks because they are simply exhausted. Over time, it also raises the risk for depression, anxiety, heart disease, diabetes, memory problems, and even accidents on the road.”
For the new study, researchers pulled data from 22 randomized controlled trials, testing the effects of different interventions on insomnia patients (defined as people formally diagnosed with insomnia or those exhibiting insomnia symptoms). Of those 13 total interventions, seven were classified as exercise-based: yoga, tai chi, walking or jogging, strength training, a combination of aerobic exercise and strength training, a combination of aerobic exercise and therapy, and mixed aerobic exercises. Meanwhile, the remaining six interventions involved minimal or no exercise, including stretching, lifestyle advice, sleep hygiene changes, cognitive behavioral therapy, and acupuncture or massage.
Overall, the data showed that “people who exercised slept longer, fell asleep faster, and woke up less often during the night,” Dr. Fong-Isariyawongse says. But when the researchers performed further analysis, they found that yoga, tai chi, and walking or jogging were linked to the most significant improvements in insomnia—and, interestingly, they appeared to be effective in different ways. “Yoga gave the biggest boost in total sleep time, tai chi improved sleep quality in ways that lasted even months later, and walking or jogging helped people feel less tired and groggy during the day,” Dr. Fong-Isariyawongse explains. In the case of tai chi, “statistically significant" positive changes were still evident as far as six to seven months and one to two years out, the researchers wrote.
Interestingly, these exercises types achieve their respective sleep benefits in different ways. Yoga may help alleviate anxiety and depression. Tai chi may help promote relaxation and shift your nervous system into a lower gear. Walking or jogging not only makes you physically tired, but it also reduces cortisol levels, helps regulate emotions, and triggers melatonin secretion. Whatever the precise mechanism(s), though, these exercises all share one key trait: a low barrier to entry, thanks to advantages like “low cost, minimal side effects, and high accessibility,” the researchers wrote. This all isn’t to say that other types of exercise don't positively impact an insomniac’s sleep, either: “Pilates, strength training, and other aerobic workouts also help and are worth trying,” Dr. Fong-Isariyawongse says. Ultimately, just choose one that “feels good and fits into your life.”
Overall, this study “supports the growing body of evidence in sports medicine that promotes the idea that ‘Exercise is medicine,’” Jeanne Doperak, DO, a sports medicine physician at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, tells SELF. If you want to try out one of these workouts to see if it has any effect on your insomnia (or even if you’re just looking for a new workout, period), keep in mind that timing, duration, and intensity all matter, too. Per previous research, “the sweet spot seems to be around an hour of movement, four to five times a week,” and consistency matters more than perfection, Dr. Fong-Isariyawongse says.
Meanwhile, as far as timing, try your best to avoid vigorous physical activity within four hours of bedtime: Going at a high intensity too close to that point “can raise heart rate, body temperature, and stress hormones, which makes it harder to fall asleep and lowers sleep quality,” according to Dr. Fong-Isariyawongse. Done right, she concludes, adding regular movement into your routine “is one of the most natural and effective ways to help your body rest”—and that holds true whether you have insomnia or not.
