If you are anything like me, the series This Is Us was a must-see favorite in my family. Part of the overarching storylines was from the character, Kevin, an actor. Towards the end of the series, he confessed to his fiancee about his overindulgence in fulfilling the audience’s need for him to be “sexy.” Part of this fulfillment was working out too much, sometimes multiple times a day. Although fictionalized in a television series, over-exercising is becoming a real addiction.
Many have a misperception that the only fitness faux pas is a lack of exercising while eating unhealthy amounts of fast food or sodas; however, over-exercising plagues our society with social media and filters taking center stage. Insecurities cause the mind to believe there must be a way to be better even if you are healthy and taking care of yourself.
Does Exercise Improve Sleep?
Exercise not only reduces stress but physical activity improves sleep quality and increases sleep duration keeping one in deep sleep longer. According to Sleep Doctor, increased deep sleep boosts the immune system, supports cardiac health, and helps control anxiety. 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.
Dr. Anna Lembke, professor of psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine, shared that “too much exercise causes physical, social, emotional distress, and when it’s compulsive and extreme, can exhaust the brain’s ability to continue to make dopamine.”
Many behaviors with over-exercising stem from societal pressure. Social media and online challenges have not helped the issue. Although we equate getting our steps in with online trackers since Fitbit’s addition to the tech market in 2008, it actually started in the 1960s by Japanese researcher Dr. Yoshiro Hatano. While investigating how to slow rising obesity rates, he found a simple metric of 10,000 daily steps was a balance between food consumption and calories burned.
Unfortunately, finding ways to challenge ourselves to easy tracking or fitness solutions has been amplified by FOMO (fear of missing out). When we see a friend hit steps or take a selfie at a gym with washboard abs, we want to challenge ourselves to be like them. When a young mom loses the maternity weight faster than we want, we starve ourselves and over-train our bodies. But Lembke states this becomes an addicting pattern.
“According to Lembke, the most obvious symptom of exercise addiction is if you’re hurting yourself. Other signs of addiction are if the behavior is consuming so much time that you’re not present for your family and friends. You become compulsive about that stimulus, and nothing else is pleasurable.”
Over-Exercising and Insomnia
One of the biggest signs of over-exercising is insomnia. Aiming for a healthy 8 hours of sleep is key to a successful routine so finding yourself with difficulty sleeping could be from too much exercise. Livestrong defines it as overtraining which causes a variety of symptoms including “fatigue, difficulty sleeping, or not feeling rested when you wake up.”
This symptom of insomnia or fatigue seems odd when you are trying to tell your body you are wanting to be extra fit, but your body succumbs to joint and muscle pain due to overexertion of the body because of over-exercising.
“Overtraining exerts a negative effect on the stress hormones cortisol and epinephrine. This hormonal imbalance can lead to emotional lability, trouble with concentration, bouts of irritability, depression, and difficulty with sleep.”
When talking through your unhealthy habits with your doctor, it is important to recognize how you are sleeping. The American Health Association recommends a number of steps to achieve a healthy amount of fitness in your week to maintain a wholesome approach to health.
Tips for Over-All Wellness
- Strive for 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity cardio activity.
- Add muscle-strengthening activities like weight or resistance training with bands 2 days a week without a back-to-back workout.
- Get moving. Less time sitting at home on the couch watching tv helps you sleep well. Start with light-intensity activity like a walk before eating dinner.
- Set a goal not based on steps but on activity. Start with 3 days a week to be active for 30 minutes then continue to build gradually over time. You will start to feel more confident as you go!
- Purchase a fitness tracker to maintain not to achieve what others are doing.
Remember that you can easily cross a line into over-training or over-exercising so keeping a journal or tracking your progress helps keep you in check. An accountability partner also can bring balance so think about a trusted person who can keep you healthy physically, mentally, and emotionally.
If you are struggling with getting enough sleep, or would like some expert advice about the connection with exercise and sleep, contact your local sleep experts. If you live in Alaska, click on the link below to connect with a professional sleep specialist.
