Conventional wisdom says don’t exercise at night.
After all, doesn’t exercise get your heart racing and activate hormones that aren’t exactly sleep inducing?
Well, yes and no.
Let’s take a deeper dive into this question and separate some of the myths from science.
There are four main reasons that many people use to argue that you shouldn’t exercise at night:
- Exercise increases your body’s core temperature for 4-5 hours.
- Exercise releases endorphins.
- Exercise increases epinephrine levels.
- “It just isn’t healthy.”
Let’s address these four reasons, looking at the science and rationalization behind them.
Core Temperature
Your body maintains a core temperature of 98.6 ºF, which is healthy for most people. Exercise will raise your body’s core temperature, which is perfectly normal and healthy.
In extreme cases, body temperature can even go as high as 104 ºF (which is unhealthy). However, rest and hydration will bring your body temperature back down to normal.
It takes 4-5 hours for your body to return to its normal, resting temperature. However, after thirty minutes to an hour, depending on the intensity of your workout, your body should feel normal – not warm enough to interfere with your sleep.
Endorphins
Many people who are against working out at night claim that the release of endorphins, which happens in exercise, makes it more difficult to sleep. However, other scientific studies have revealed that the release of endorphins through sex actually helps you sleep.
It seems that endorphins themselves aren’t the problem. Rather, people are more prone to shirk the responsibilities of exercise and enjoy the pleasures of sex before going to bed!