Got Insomnia? Get Up and exercise.

by dawn billings
Filed under: Health & Wellness

Hey Women Entrepreneurs, imagine my surprise when I was looking for information on the web that might help me sleep. If this is an article about sleeping better, why do I have a picture of a woman jumping in a ridiculously perfect toe touch jump about 6 feet off the ground? Well let me explain. Here I was rollin’ around in my bed exhausted and the only thing falling asleep were my feet, and I learn that if you want to sleep deeply you need a few sets of deep knee bends?

The article said that for most people who are having trouble sleeping, there’s a simple cure: exercise. In fact, when researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine asked sedentary adults with insomnia to exercise 20 to 30 minutes every other day in the afternoon, participants reduced the time required to fall asleep by half, and increased total sleep time by almost one hour. I’ll trade a half hour in my exercise tees for an extra hour sawing Z’s any day. It was difficult for me to believe until I actually tried it for myself. Yep, they are right. If you exercise, you sleep better. I sure do. Not only do I sleep better, I need less hours in bed because I am actually using the hours sleeping instead of rolling around.

Working out regularly has been shown to reduce episodes of insomnia, and improve sleep quality by producing smoother, more regular transitions between the cycles and phases of sleep. What’s more, exercise offers many other mental benefits:

Reduces stress

Sharpens your brain (Now this I definitely need. My brain isn’t sharp enough to cut soften butter sometimes)

Eases tension

Produces “feel good” brain chemicals (endorphins)

Releases epinephrine, the happiness hormone (Wohoo, as women small business owners, we all need more of that one don’t we?

Increases deep sleep

Moderate exercise lasting 20 to 30 minutes three or four times a week generally results in better sleep and more energy. You may have to find your own exercise rhythm–some people can exercise any time, while others do better if they work out in the morning or afternoon. But, vigorous exercise during the day and mild exercise before bedtime will not only help you fall asleep and stay asleep more easily, but will increase the amount of time you spend in the deepest sleep phase. Now that would be sooooo nice.

Well, there you have it. Go out and exercise and if any of you can jump like the women in the picture above, send me the picture and we will figure out a great way to reward you.

Dawn L Billings is an ardent advocate for women’s and children’s issues, the author of over 20 books and hundreds of articles on parenting, relationships, entitlement and networking. Dawn is the CEO and Founder of The Heart Link Womens Network, Trova Women Business Directory and Trova Small Business Directory and The Heart Alliance.com international women’s networking organizations and communities.

Dawn is the creator of the NEW Parenting Tool called Capables, a revolutionary parenting tool and Toddler toy that ends whining and tantrums for good. In 2008 Dawn was selected by Oprah Magazine and The White House project as one of 80 emerging women leaders in the nation. Find out more and buy Dawn’s books, Women Lifting the World inspirational videos to uplift the hearts of those you love, and the NEW Toddler Teaching Toys called CAPABLES Dawn is also the architect of the Primary Colors Personality Test

[Offtopic: by the way, have you had the opportunity to attend a local Heart Link Women's Network networking event? If not, check out our locations and find a gathering near you! You will be so glad you did. Also TROVA NOW Women Business Directory, and TROVA Business Directory for all small businesses launched in April 2010. TROVA in Italian means "Find". Would you like for your business to be found easily both locally and nationally? That is what our new business directories TrovaBusinessDirecory.com and TrovaWomenBusinessDirectory.com (launched April 1, 2010) are all about. For more information about how to get your women owned business listed for FREE visit: TrovaNow]