Can strength training affect sleep?

Strength training keeps you fit and is good for your health, but if you train hard, you also need to sleep well to recover! Sports and health expert Prof. Dr. Geisler shows us current studies on the effects of strength training on sleep and explains whether regular exercise contributes to better sleep.

Table of contents

1. Sport & Sleep
2. The effect of strength training on sleep quality
3. Can strength training improve sleep?
4. Conclusion

1. Exercise & Sleep

Anyone who trains hard and often also needs sufficient sleep and recovery! Especially in strength training, good sleep is crucial to support muscle growth and replenish energy stores after strenuous training sessions. You can learn more about this in this articleSo, good sleep supports our training performance, but how does regular strength training affect our sleep behavior and quality?

Prof. Dr. Stephan Geisler is the smartsleep-Expert for fitness and health. He gives us an overview of current research and explains the impact strength training can have on sleep quality.

2. Effects of strength training on sleep quality

To answer the question of whether strength training affects sleep, we need to familiarize ourselves with the current state of research. To this end, we can take a look at three studies that offer different perspectives (Bennie & Tittlbach, 2020; Kovacevic et al., 2018; Santiago et al., 2022).

The first study examined the effects of 12 weeks of strength training on sleep quality, sleep duration, and daytime sleepiness in healthy adolescents (Santiago et al., 2022). Training was performed three times a week with a repetition range of 10–12 repetitions, performed in three sets per exercise. The strength training was based on eight exercises designed to train the entire body in each training session (leg extension, leg curl, calf raises, leg press, bench press, bicep curls, tricep extension, and lat pulldown). The results show that the subjects' overall sleep quality had improved significantly after 12 weeks, and daytime sleepiness also tended to be lower. A control group that did not train, however, did not experience any improvement in their sleep quality or daytime sleepiness. However, the positive effect of strength training on sleep was not only evident in this study.

Bennie & Tittlbach's study analyzed data from online and paper questionnaires from the 2014 "Health in Germany Today" project. The researchers had access to data from 23,635 people over the age of 18. The researchers examined data from over 23,000 people over the age of 18 and examined whether those who performed some form of strength training had better sleep quality. Indeed, the analysis showed that people who performed strength training tended to have better sleep quality—regardless of sociodemographic/lifestyle factors (e.g., gender, age, socioeconomic status, alcohol, smoking, BMI, and chronic diseases) and endurance training.

The last paper I would like to present examined all studies published up to that point in 2018 that examined the effect of acute resistance training (i.e., fewer than four training sessions) and chronic resistance training (i.e., more than four training sessions) on sleep duration and quality in individuals of all ages, genders, and health conditions (from healthy to sick).However, the study could not determine a direct positive or negative influence of strength training on sleep duration, and the results regarding sleep quality were somewhat inconsistent. Two out of three studies showed improved sleep quality as a result of acute strength training. In individuals who engaged in chronic strength training, improvements in subjective sleep quality were observed across several studies, while sleep duration was only affected to a limited extent. However, there are few well-controlled studies that have examined the effects of strength training on sleep duration and quality.

3. Can strength training improve sleep?

Yes, strength training can have a positive impact on sleep quality! This is demonstrated by the three studies presented here, which, due to their different approaches, offer different perspectives on the current state of research. The positive effects on sleep could be primarily due to the effect of exercise on energy metabolism. Several studies by Dr. Markus Dworak have already shown that intense physical exertion increases the proportion of deep sleep, and this effect is presumably caused by the molecule adenosine.

Sleep duration could also be improved through regular exercise sessions, although current research on this topic is still very limited. Furthermore, there is a lack of studies examining the influence of strength training on sleep quality in young, healthy adults. It remains exciting to see what further insights we will gain in the future about the connection between strength training and our sleep.

More articles in the field of sports and health: How exercise promotes sleep and Sleep improves athletic performance.

4. Conclusion

• Regular strength training can have a positive effect on sleep quality and improve the subjective feeling of recovery.

• In some studies, regular strength training has helped increase sleep duration.

Best regards and see you soon!