2024, Vol. 28 ›› Issue (32): 5238-5242

Characterization and mechanism by which nighttime exercise affects sleep

Wang Longteng, Zhou Yuehui   

Abstract: BACKGROUND: With the extensive development of national fitness activities, nighttime exercise has gradually become a social trend. However, what effects nighttime exercise will have on sleep, the characterization of sleeping changes and the mechanisms of action are not clear.
OBJECTIVE: To analyze the characterization and mechanisms of nighttime exercise on sleep.
METHODS: We searched the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), PubMed database, and Web of Science database with the search terms of “sport, exercise, physical activity, physical exercise, workout, sleep, asleep, daily routine” in Chinese, and “nocturnality, night, nighttime, exercise, sport, physical activity, sleep, slumber, dorm” in English for literature on how nighttime exercise affects sleep and its mechanism of action. Finally, 55 articles were included.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Sleep consists of two phases: rapid eye movement and non-rapid eye movement. Sleep regulation relies on the close coordination of neural circuits and molecules in different brain regions, while the homeostatic components of the organism and circadian rhythms are also important factors in the regulation of sleep. The effects of exercise on sleep have evolved from an early focus on the central nervous system to the addition of somatic physiology, and now multiple dimensions have been investigated, revealing multifaceted effects of exercise on sleep, including subjective sleep quality, sleep continuity, and sleep quantity and sleep structure. Nighttime exercise-affected sleep is subjected to the constraints of exercise conditions and exercisers and shows certain complexity, but the heterogeneity, time-dependence, and instability characteristics of nighttime exercise-affected sleep can provide some guidance for nighttime exercisers in minimizing the impact on sleep. Mechanisms by which nighttime exercise affects sleep are related to the reduction of melatonin secretion, the increase of core body temperature, and energy expenditure. People with high sensitivity of their own sleep to nighttime exercise should avoid nighttime exercise as much as possible, and those with low sensitivity should also pay attention to the fact that the time of nighttime exercise should have a long interval with sleeping time, and the intensity should not be too high. Some measures can be adopted to safeguard sleep after exercise, such as energy replenishing after exercise, and reduced use of electronic devices.

Key words: nighttime exercise, sleep, characterization, mechanism of action, human health