Final answer:
Exercise can indeed improve the quality of sleep and help alleviate sleep disorders such as insomnia. It enhances sleep by raising the body's BMR and promotes restoration and recovery during sleep, although exercising right before bedtime may be less beneficial.
Step-by-step explanation:
True, exercise can improve the quality of sleep. This is supported by research indicating physical exercise not only improves sleep quality for most people but also helps mitigate sleep disorders such as insomnia. An optimal time for exercise to reap sleep benefits is four to eight hours before bedtime; however, any time of day is generally beneficial, except potentially right before bedtime as it may disrupt sleep.
Exercise increases basal metabolic rate (BMR) by building lean tissue, which burns more calories even at rest, including while sleeping. It is also a recommended alternative to sleeping pills for those suffering from insomnia. Maintaining an active lifestyle aligns with theories that suggest sleep serves the purpose of restoration and recovery from daily energetic demands, implying a positive correlation between exercise and sleep duration and quality.
Physical activity is not only important for one's physical health but also impacts cognitive abilities and emotional processing, which are further enhanced with proper sleep. Thus, sleep hygiene is crucial, and therapists often advise those with insomnia to minimize waking time in bed to improve their ability to fall asleep later.