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Do you ever have trouble falling asleep at night? If so, fitting a bit more physical activity into your daytime routine might help.
A study of over 500 children has shown that children who are less active during the day take longer to fall asleep at bedtime. Specifically, 3 minutes longer for every hour that is spent doing something inactive (e.g., reading or watching TV). Also important, the (more active) children who fell asleep sooner also slept for a longer period of time. Now, this might not be big news to parents who already “know” that running around outside will tucker the little ones out, but recent advances in biomedical science are now providing clues as to why this might be the case. For example, a paper that was published in the journal Neuroscience in 2007 showed that moderate and intense exercise significantly increased the levels of adenosine in the brains of rats (compared to a no-exercise condition). What does that mean? Well, adenosine is thought to promote sleep and sleepiness. If you are familiar with the effects of caffeine, then you know what it feels like when you block the effects of adenosine. Caffeine is an adenosine receptor antagonist. So, find ways to fit movement into your day. You might raise your adenosine levels and improve your sleep. Rest well,Larry
Source BBC