According to Sleep Foundation, “regular exercise, particularly in the morning or afternoon, can impact your sleep quality by raising your body temperature a few degrees. Later in the day, when your internal thermostat drops back to its normal range, this can trigger feelings of drowsiness and help you drop off to sleep.” Although it would be most beneficial to aim for 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per week, even just a 10-minute walk per day could greatly benefit your student’s sleep schedule and help them to perform better throughout the day. According to sleep.org, “as little as 10 minutes of aerobic exercise, such as walking or cycling, can dramatically improve the quality of your nighttime sleep, especially when done on a regular basis.”
Exercise can also help fight insomnia because it decreases the symptoms of anxiety and depression. According to sleep.org, “exercisers may reduce their risk for developing troublesome sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome.” Additionally, according to sleep.org, “early morning and afternoon exercise may also help reset the sleep-wake cycle by raising body temperature slightly, then allowing it to drop and trigger sleepiness a few hours later.”
