Exercise and Sleep: Much research has gone into the connection between exercise and sleep, with some significant findings on how each one is beneficial to the other.

How Sleep Improves Exercise: According to studies on the importance of exercise and sleep, adequate sleep can positively affect not only an individual’s ability to perform, but also their stress levels, emotional regulation, learning capabilities and willpower. Plenty of other studies have found that the sleep deprivation interferes with stress management, emotion regulation, learning, and willpower. Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D., a health psychologist at Stanford University, makes a strong case for sleep as the most powerful resource for greater self-control and better performance in her "Science of Willpower" course. McGonigal cites an article in The New York Times that reported on a study from Stanford showing that sleeping 10 hours a night improved the performance of athletes. The study also noted how the participants felt great after sleeping 10 hours a day, as if they had never known their true potential when they were sleep deprived.

How Exercise Improves Sleep: The impact of exercise on nourishing sleep is also quite profound. Dennis Rosen, M.D., a pediatric sleep specialist who practices at Children's Hospital Boston, cites in his blog, "Sleeping Angels" for PsychologyToday.com, a study reported in the Journal of Adolescent Health. In it, 434 Swiss teenagers were studied to discover how exercise improves sleep.

The Study:pan> The larger group of the participants consisted of 258 athletes who averaged 17.7 hours of exercise per week, while the smaller group of participants consisted of 179 non-athletes averaging 4.7 hours of exercise per week. All of the participants kept sleep and exercise diaries for seven consecutive days and completed a number of questionnaires about the quality of their sleep and other psychological measurements. The researchers found that the athletes had better sleep quality, and that it took them less time to fall asleep at night than the non-athletes. The athletes also had fewer awakenings during the night than the non-athletes, were less sleepy and had better concentration during the day, with less anxiety and fewer depressive symptoms than the non-athletes.

Additional Findings: Further studies on exercise and sleep have confirmed that people who follow a regular exercise schedule have fewer nights of sleeplessness, realize better sleep quality and remain in the deepest sleep (Stage 4) for a longer period of time.

Exercise and Sleep – The Bottom Line: To Dr. Rosen, the benefits of exercise offer one more reason to get off the couch and get active. On a side note, Dr. McGonigal believes that getting enough sleep on a regular cycle may make us a better version of ourselves. Nourishing sleep - it’s not just for athletes – it can help all of us feel good and perform well, at any age.

Eating and Sleeping: Eating Before Bed – The Good and the Bad: What you eat and drink plays a role in both falling and staying asleep. If you have trouble sleeping, try applying these simple changes to your eating and sleeping routine.

Eat a small snack several hours before bedtime. Hunger pains can wake you up, so don't go to sleep hungry. Choose a small, healthy snack wheneating before bed, such as a small bowl of oatmeal or cereal with low-fat milk, or yogurt with granola sprinkled on top.
Avoid large, high-fat meals before bed. Eating a light snack before sleeping is fine, but eating too much late in the evening can interfere with sleep and may cause you to feel physically uncomfortable when lying down.
Avoid heavy, spicy foods, especially if you're prone to heartburn. Don't drink too much liquid. While your eating and sleeping routine can affect your night's rest, so can your drinking and sleeping habits. Drinking lots of fluids before bed can cause you to wake up repeatedly to use the bathroom.
Avoid caffeine and other stimulants. Caffeine increases the activity of your nervous system, which makes falling asleep more difficult. Avoid caffeinated beverages eight hours before your desired bedtime. Your body doesn't store caffeine, but it does take many hours for it to eliminate the stimulant and its effects.
Avoid alcohol. Although it may initially make you feel sleepy, alcohol prevents deeper stages of sleep and often causes you to awaken in the middle of the night.

Nearly everyone has occasional sleepless nights. But if you have trouble sleeping on a regular or frequent basis, see your doctor. He or she can determine what might be the cause of your sleep problem and how it might be treated. If your doctor thinks you could have a sleep disorder related to your eating and sleeping habits, you might be referred to a sleep center for special testing.