How to choose the right time to exercise for better sleep

Written by Christopher Kelly

Nov. 1, 2014

Have you ever wondered if there was an ideal time to exercise to improve your sleep quality and maximize your recovery?

Cortisol is a catabolic hormone that is released when you do a heavy workout. It’s the hormone that “gets you going” in the morning and helps you stay productive during the day. The problem happens when cortisol is not following its circadian rhythm: cortisol should be high in the morning and low at night.

So, if you are exercising in the evening, your cortisol goes up. This means that you might have trouble sleeping because your cortisol is still in high gear. Not good if you are hoping to get a good night’s rest just a few hours later.

In this video, I will show you how to assess your circadian rhythm by measuring cortisol in a saliva sample.