While exercise usually has a positive impact on sleep quality, it's long been believed that exercising later in the evening is detrimental to a good night's rest. Still, researchers in New Zealand think it may be more nuanced than that. They asked 30 adults aged between 18 and 36 to complete two sessions in lab conditions. In the first session, participants were asked to sit for four hours and watch a streaming service. In the second session, researchers asked participants to do the same but to take one three-minute exercise break every 30 minutes for four hours. The exercises were based on body weight, squats, calf raises, and hip extensions. They didn't require any equipment and were designed to fit around common nighttime activities like watching TV or reading. Researchers collected the data by getting the participants to wear a tracking device on their non-dominant wrist. This device tracked sleep quality and length, as well as physical activity. The key component of this study is that researchers asked participants to do low-impact resistance activities. Previous warnings about exercising later in the day had focused on more vigorous workouts which raise body temperature and activate the nervous system. This is what ordinarily makes exercise so beneficial. The study found that while sleep quality was the same after both sessions, participants slept for nearly 30 minutes longer the night after exercise. A 2022 study by the European Society of Cardiologists found that people who get the recommended amount of sleep can decrease their risk of heart disease and stroke by 75%. While people who fail to achieve the correct amount are at higher risk of poor physical and mental health outcomes. But everyone is different. Our routines vary and so do our sleeping patterns, so it may be helpful to track sleep performance and exercise to see if one affects the other. Remember to track sleep quality as well as length. Wearable fitness trackers can be helpful in logging and monitoring exercise and sleep. With 31% of adults failing to get enough exercise, it's heartening to see the impact that short, low-impact bursts can have. This was a small study, however, so it will be interesting to see if more extensive research can replicate the data. We'll soon be opening pre-orders for our electricity-generating RE:GEN bike. Register your details to find out when you can put your deposit down for a smart bike that turns your effort into clean electricity.