If you want to sleep well, exercise in the morning, a new study suggests.
Researchers from Appalachian State University in North Carolina recruited 20 adults on separate days to perform a moderate, 30-minute workout at 7 am, 1 pm, or 7 pm, reports Runner's World on Monday. Researchers monitored the subjects' sleep each night.
When subjects exercised in the morning they woke significantly fewer times during the night than when they worked out in the afternoon or evening, the report said. They also spent less time in REM sleep, which is the lightest phase of sleep and when recalled dreams occur.
Another new study from Brigham Young University in the Utah, also reported in Runner's World, found that when women woke up earlier, they were more active throughout the day.
Both studies will be presented Tuesday at the annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine.
A separate study announced last year suggests that a brisk morning workout may reduce your appetite throughout the day. Researchers from Brigham Young University recruited 35 women in their study, with findings published in the October issue of the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.