In a recent study published in the BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine , researchers assessed if evening 3-minute resistance exercise breaks enhance sleep quantity and quality compared to prolonged sitting. Study: Evening regular activity breaks extend subsequent free-living sleep time in healthy adults: a randomised crossover trial . Image Credit: faithie/Shutterstock.
com Insufficient sleep negatively impacts diet and increases the risk of cardiometabolic diseases such as coronary heart disease (Blocked heart blood supply) and type 2 diabetes (High blood sugar due to insulin issues). While evening exercise generally does not disrupt sleep and can improve sleep quality, current guidelines advise against it before bed. The effect of regular evening activity breaks on sleep remains unclear.
Further research is needed to explore the long-term impact of evening activity breaks on sleep quality and overall cardiometabolic health. This randomized crossover trial in Dunedin, New Zealand, examined the effects of evening activity breaks on sleep and physical activity patterns in 30 participants aged 18-40. Participants were non-smokers, free from medications affecting metabolism, and reported high sedentary time.
They wore an ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometer for seven days to track habitual activity and sleep, maintaining a diary for non-wear and sleep details. Participants completed two 4-hour evening sessions, either prolonged sitting or sitting with 3-minute resistance exercise breaks .
