Influenced in the evening, sports at night?


The days are getting longer, the desire to move, rising: Jogging, Outdoor football or after work to the gym. Sport is good for the metabolism, immune system and well-being – but it is also good for sleep?

Who lifts in the evenings, Weights or on the bike swings, sleep worse, so a common Belief is. Disturbed sleep, in turn, increases the risk for accidents, heart attacks, Obesity and mental disorders. The German society for sleep research and sleep medicine (DGSM) suggests in a guide to the fact that sports could have a moment before bed to sleep. New studies, however, show a contradictory picture.

Better no intense exercise one hour before bedtime

Sports scientists from the ETH Zurich have been evaluated for in February in the Journal “Sports Medicine” published a Meta-analysis of 23 studies. Your result: those Who train less than an hour before going to bed intense, actually runs the risk of, to longer need for Sleep and get less sleep. On other aspects, such as deep-sleep phases, or the frequency of waking up the movement did not have an impact.

The negative effects are of course only to intense Training very shortly before bedtime. Generally affecting night sport so Sport less than four hours of sleep – not sleep. On the contrary, Late movement, can promote the sleep quality. However, the effect was small and therefore likely to be clinically irrelevant, the researchers write.

In comparison to previous individual studies, the Meta-analysis to be meaningful. But it has limitations. Especially the researchers in the Evening have not compared with the Morning or the Afternoon athletes, but Not athletes. In addition, only studies with individuals have been included without the sleep disorder. And it went almost exclusively to normal-weight men between 19 and 28 years.

In a study, overview the year 2015, however, American psychologists behavior of the Sleep after the Sport compared to different times of the Day. In addition, the study participants from different age groups came.

The researchers were able to show that people who had less than driven for three hours before going to bed Sport, even more rarely woke up than those who had trained for three to eight hours of bedtime. The positive effect was however only observed when the subjects drove only occasionally, sports. How long you needed to Sleep, not hung, however, when they had driven Sport.

As evening Sport influences people who suffer from sleep disorders, has been barely researched. Almost every third person is affected in Germany of sleep disorders. One of the few studies on the subject Recently submitted to Australian researchers. They found no evidence to suggest that people with sleep disorders after sports in the evening, poor sleep in comparison to sports in the Morning or afternoon.

Results are far from robust

The study location is still ambiguous, is due to the fact that only a few subjects are studied. With a low number of participants, the risk increases that the results of the samples in the other stitch is different would look like. Say: The results are anything other than robust.

The scientists of the world, the mechanisms through which evening sports could sleep at all affect. Higher Body Temperature? Muscle soreness? Heartbeat? Night Hunger? Also for this purpose, previous studies are not clear.

Summary: researchers have evidence that intense exercise late in the evening to sleep problems. That moderate exercise influences a short time before going to bed, sleep a negative impact, however, is not evidenced so far, clearly. On the contrary, some subjects slept better, after they had driven Sport. Anyone who suffers from sleep problems, you should check for yourself, whether in the evening, the Sport appears to be rather beneficial or harmful.