Words: Laura Potter. Photograph: Stocksy
NIGHT MOVES
We’ve long thought that evening workouts disrupt sleep but Swiss research has blown that assumption out of the water. Researchers analysed 23 studies, and found that taking moderate exercise within four hours of going to bed can actually improve your sleep. Following evening activity, people spent 21.2 per cent of their night in deep sleep, whereas during a non-exercise night, the average was 19.9 per cent. That sounds like a small difference but it’s statistically significant, and it’s important because it’s during deep sleep that we achieve physical recovery.