Which is better for your well being- Sleep or Exercise?
Which is better for your well being- Sleep or Exercise?

Which is better for your well being- Sleep or Exercise?

If you are tired & have that extra time, what would indulge into? Lie down on your bed & take a nap or pick up kettlebell & do some functional stuff? This is a question everyone asks! Who is not deprived of sleep? Who does not want more physical workout? But do we have time to do it all? The answer to this question boils down to how tired you are. To evaluate if you are sleep deprived or tired, it’s better to assess your recent sleep history.

Ultimately for better health both workout & sleep are important. Getting recommended 7 hours sleep is necessary to maintain body metabolism, regulate weight & brain health. Inadequate quality or amount of sleep is associated with risk of heart disease, memory problems, diabetes & long term poor health.

Regular physical workout leads to huge health benefits & similar to deprived sleep, lack of proper exercises can have a negative impact on health. In fact both are interrelated. A good workout session can lead to peaceful & deep sleep & a good sleep can result in intense & result oriented workout the next day. Sleep is the body’s biological need which impacts health if the body is deprived of necessary sleep. On the other hand workout do carry health benefits but inactive couple of days here & there would not have much impact  

Half an hour of exercise offers more positive impact than 30 minutes of extra Sleep. However if you are taking a nap, keep it short. A short power nap helps in increasing your alertness. Since you are not getting into long sleep, power nap is not going to impact following night sleep. The problem is if you are sleep deprived, such naps will not stop at 30 minutes. Longer naps & those in later part of day will lead to a bad sleep the following night. 

During early morning hours if you wake up by 5 am, it is always better to get indulged into workout sessions. This may lead to sleep early at night with long sleep hours. Finally, you are energetic when you go for a workout the next day. 

If you want to stay alert & active without depriving sleep, there are a lot of unconventional ways to indulge in workout specifically for those who follow a sedentary professional lifestyle. In today’s technology scenario, such professionals are not required to indulge in a formal weight training session or 30 minute bicycle ride. They can train through calisthenics program, home workout or indulging in extra workout during the day such as mowing the lawn or going for a quick jog. These all activities does not require you to deprive your body of requires sleep.

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