Sleep and exercise: Why better sleep could be the missing piece of your health puzzle

According to the study from The University of Texas at Austin, those who moved regularly across the week recorded healthier sleep patterns than those who were active less often, suggesting short daily doses may support sleep more effectively than concentrating all your exercise into one or two longer sessions.

The practical takeaway is simple: consistent movement counts towards better sleep. That matters because sleep supports recovery, brain function, athletic performance, metabolism, emotional wellbeing, and long-term health. Exercise and quality sleep reinforce each other, helping you get more from every workout and feel better day to day.

Quick answer: Why is sleep important?

Sleep is essential for physical recovery, mental wellbeing, metabolism, immune function, memory, learning, and athletic performance. Quality sleep helps the body repair and restore itself, while regular exercise can improve sleep quality. A combination of sufficient sleep and regular physical activity delivers the greatest health benefits.

Why sleep matters more than you think

Sleep is far more than a period of rest. According to sleep physician Dr Meeta Singh, who has acted as a sleep consultant for multiple NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, Olympic, and college sports teams, sleep influences virtually every aspect of human performance. Reaction time, focus, motivation, glucose metabolism, memory, learning, stress regulation, muscle growth, and recovery are all affected by the quality and quantity of your sleep.

"Our circadian rhythms are intrinsic time-keeping biological clocks that also influence athletic performance,” says Dr Singh. “In fact, many major indexes of athletic performance – like muscle strength, reaction time and flexibility – are influenced by the circadian clock. As are muscle growth and maintenance."

Dr Singh describes sleep as a circuit board with a single switch. "If that switch fails, everything else will also break down." She explains that while you sleep, the body enters a period of active repair and restoration. Physical recovery occurs at the cellular level, while the brain clears waste products and resets for the next day. This recovery process supports everything from cognitive function to physical performance and overall wellbeing.

What happens when you don't get enough sleep?

The consequences of insufficient sleep go beyond feeling tired. Scientists have found just one night of poor sleep (less than six hours slumber) can significantly harm mental and physical wellbeing. If you have six consecutive nights of poor sleep, scientists believe you can suffer severe emotional and physical impacts such as body aches, gastrointestinal issues and respiratory problems. And that’s not all. Another study suggests consistently getting less than seven hours of sleep per night may almost double your risk of musculoskeletal injury.

Common signs of sleep deprivation include:

• Feeling exhausted despite adequate rest opportunities
• Difficulty concentrating
• Reduced motivation
• Increased irritability
• Increased anxiety
• Poor exercise performance
• Greater injury risk

Am I getting enough sleep?

If you're regularly sleeping longer on weekends than weekdays, that can be a sign you're carrying sleep debt and may need more sleep overall.

Sleep or exercise: which matters most?

If you’re feeling tired, what should you do? Stay snuggled up in bed with one hand on the snooze button? Or wipe the sleep from your eyes and bust out a morning workout? This is exactly what researchers set out to unearth when they dove into the sleep and physical activity data from 380,000 middle-aged men and women. This fascinating study is the first ever to explore how the effects of sleep and physical activity levels are intertwined.

The findings show:

• Poor quality sleep can cut years from your life.
• If you don’t get enough physical activity, the effects of poor sleep can be magnified.
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Study participants who had both low sleep and low physical activity levels were 57% more likely to die from heart disease, stroke or cancer.

When it comes to identifying whether you’ll benefit from more exercise or sleep, experts say it varies depending on the individual. For most, a good dose of physical activity can offset some of the harmful effects associated with poor sleep patterns. However, the exercise won't be as beneficial for your body if you’re lacking sleep.

The upshot … If you exercise regularly, regardless of how much you sleep, you’re likely to be better off than those who are not exercising and have poor sleep.  

That said, Dr Singh believes sleep should take precedence when forced to choose. "Exercise has tremendous health benefits, but sleep is a biological need that is essential for overall health."

The ideal solution? Get enough sleep and exercise regularly. These are complementary health habits, not competing priorities.

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Can more sleep help with weight management?

Over the years, research has uncovered interesting connections between sleep and body weight. A Korean study showed sleep deprivation could be related to an increase in fat mass and obesity. Another study found that a calorie-restricted diet led to less fat loss when participants slept for just 5.5 hours a night (compared to 8.5 hours a night). Swedish researchers have found a link between sleep patterns and the gut microbiome’s role in gaining weight. And American sleep researchers found just one less hour of sleep a night can adversely affect changes in body composition. But these types of studies had limited scope and haven’t measured long-term weight loss success, which is considered to be a 5% body mass reduction for greater than 12 months.

In 2021, a large cross-sectional study delved a little deeper into the relationship between sleep and physical activity when it comes to successful long-term weight loss. Measuring physical activity levels, sleep duration and sedentary periods, researchers from The University of Texas Health Science Center found no significant associations between any of these independent elements and weight loss success. But when they combined the elements, they found that, regardless of sedentary time, 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous-intensity exercise each week was more likely to result in long-term weight loss success.

The takeaway? Exercise is a key element of weight management. Sleep and exercise work best together. One supports the other, and both contribute to healthier body composition and long-term weight management.

What is the best exercise for better sleep?

While almost any regular movement can support healthy sleep, some exercise modalities appear particularly effective.

Yoga and sleep

A major analysis involving 22 clinical trials has highlighted how yoga can help you fall asleep faster, sleep longer, and wake up feeling refreshed.
The findings come after researchers considered findings from over 1,300 people with insomnia, exploring how seven different types of exercise impacted sleep. Yoga, it turns out, is pretty hard to beat. People who practised yoga slept almost two hours longer per night compared to others. And they didn’t just get more sleep; they fell asleep more quickly and woke less often.

Such slumber-inducing power is supported by earlier research showing that just 30 minutes of yoga before bed can help you shed stress, relax more and sleep better. Those involved in the study did a short BODYBALANCE™ session three evenings a week for just two weeks. They enjoyed a 15% improvement in sleep quality – along with increased feelings of motivation, confidence and satisfaction with daily life, as well as a decrease in anxiety, tension and sadness.

Bryce Hastings, Les Mills Head of Research, suspects that yoga’s sleep-promoting benefits stem from the focus on controlled breathing and body awareness. “As you flow through a yoga practice, it soothes your sympathetic nervous system. When this happens, your blood pressure lowers, your heart rate slows, and it calms the body’s physiological state – which is the perfect state for sleep.”

Strength training and sleep

A growing pool of research suggests resistance training can be a particularly effective form of exercise for improving sleep.
One study found strength training can help you gain up to 40 minutes more sleep each night – 17 minutes more than you get from simply doing aerobic exercise.

Read more: Strength training and sleep: Why lifting helps you sleep better

HIIT and sleep

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) can also support sleep quality, but it’s important to get the dose right. Research led by Dr Jinger Gottschall found individuals achieved the best sleep outcomes when spending approximately 4-9% of their total weekly exercise time in the high training zones. Too much time at very high intensity was associated with poorer sleep quality, mood and energy levels.

Read more: HIIT and sleep: Finding the sweet spot for better recovery

How much sleep do you really need?

Most adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep every 24 hours. However, sleep needs vary slightly between individuals.

According to Dr Singh, one of the best ways to determine your natural sleep requirement is to spend two weeks sleeping without alarms or schedule restrictions. Once any accumulated sleep debt is repaid, your body typically settles into a consistent pattern that reflects your true sleep need.

When evaluating sleep, three factors matter:

1. Quantity: For most adults, seven to nine hours is the target. Consistently getting less than six hours is likely to have consequences.
2. Quality: Good quality sleep means falling asleep within about 30 minutes, staying asleep throughout the night, and returning to sleep quickly after waking.
3. Timing: Regular sleep schedules aligned with your natural body clock support optimal recovery and performance.

6 evidence-based ways to sleep better

Looking for better sleep tonight? Start here with Dr Singh’s six steps to improved slumber.

1. Keep your bedroom cool, dark and comfortable. Environmental factors can strongly influence sleep quality.
2. Maintain a consistent sleep schedule. Aim to go to bed and wake up at similar times every day, including weekends.
3. Limit stimulants before bed. Avoid caffeine at least three hours before bedtime and be mindful of nicotine and alcohol intake.
4. Avoid large meals late at night. Heavy meals and excessive fluid intake can disrupt sleep.
5. Stop watching the clock. Constantly checking the time during the night can increase mental stimulation and make it harder to fall back asleep.
6. Be strategic with naps. Naps can help when you're sleep-deprived, but they may interfere with nighttime sleep if insomnia is already a concern.

The bottom line

Sleep is one of the most powerful performance enhancers available. It supports recovery, improves mood, strengthens health, and helps your body adapt to training.

Exercise can help you sleep better. Better sleep can help you exercise better. Together they form a virtuous cycle that supports everything from weight management and longevity, to athletic performance and everyday wellbeing.

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Related reading

HIIT and sleep: Finding the sweet spot for better recovery

Strength training and sleep: Why lifting helps you sleep better

Sleep and athletic performance: How better sleep improves recovery and results