Best Time to Exercise for Menopause Insomnia Relief

I bet you stay a lot of times lying awake at 3am, wondering why you can’t sleep. Well, you’re not alone. 46% of women experience sleep difficulties in the years leading up to menopause and more than half experience sleep disorders after it. Fluctuating hormones can affect mood, temperature regulation and sleep cycles, all of which feed into insomnia.

Exercising, actually, is one of the most accessible and efficient tools you have, however, knowing when and what kind of exercises may matter as much as whether you show up at all

What does research say

In a controlled trial published in the journal Menopause, 106 sedentary perimenopausal and postmenopausal women did aerobic exercise three times a week for 12 weeks, with supervision. Research concluded that, although it did not ease hot flashes, it brought small improvements in sleep quality, insomnia and depression, although very modest.

Another trial with 437 postmenopausal women found that even a low dose of exercise reduced the odds of sleep disturbance significantly.

Why strength training plays a major role

A Journal of Mid-Life Health study compared resistance and aerobic exercise in 60 postmenopausal women with insomnia. Even though both reduced insomnia, resistance exercise had better results. A separate trial reported that resistance training improved insomnia and sleep quality and that rising estradiol levels appeared to play a part.

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Strength training and daylight

The Sleep Foundation states that aerobic or resistance exercise in the morning can help you fall asleep faster at night. Training outdoors in the morning adds sunlight exposure, a major cue for your body clock. Morning sessions may help support the natural nighttime dip in blood pressure, which is linked to deeper sleep.

Aim for a morning strength session two to three days a week.

Zone 2 cardio and afternoons

Afternoon aerobic exercise stimulates earlier melatonin release and shifts the circadian rhythm forward. It can also raise body temperature for four to five hours afterwards, which means that afternoon sessions make the temperature of your body fall near the bedtime and cooling is a key signal for sleep onset.

What about working out at night

Recent studies have suggested night-time exercise may actually increase restorative deep sleep. If evenings are the only window you have, then take it. The Sleep Foundation advises that if morning workouts leave you struggling to sleep, try shifting them later. Consistency beats the perfect time every time.

Having support makes this easier to stick to

Timing morning strength sessions and afternoon cardio sessions may sound simple on paper, but, in practice, we all know that menopause also brings fatigue, unpredictable energy and poor sleep itself, which is exactly when motivation goes down the drain. This is why guidance matters.

At Papayya, our focus is live, one-on-one personal training. New members begin with a fitness assessment, including posture and cardiovascular checks to set a baseline for a personalized plan. Having someone expecting you at any time also makes it far easier to protect the routine that your sleep may depend on.

Sources

1. Sleep Foundation: Menopause and Sleep. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/menopause
2. Sleep Foundation: Best Time of Day to Exercise for Sleep. https://sleepfoundation.org/articles/best-time-day-exercise-quality-zzzs
3. Sternfeld B, Caan BJ, et al. "Efficacy of exercise for menopausal symptoms: a randomized controlled trial." Menopause, 2014;21(4):330-8. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23899828
4. Karandikar-Agashe G, Agrawal R. "Comparative study of the effect of resistance exercises versus aerobic exercises in postmenopausal women suffering from insomnia." Journal of Mid-Life Health, 2020;11(1):2-5. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7362974
5. "Effect of resistive exercise on insomnia and sleep quality in postmenopausal women: a randomized controlled trial." Bulletin of Faculty of Physical Therapy. https://bfpt.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s43161-023-00124-z
6. "Dose-response effects of exercise training on the subjective sleep quality of postmenopausal women." BMJ Open, 2012. https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/2/4/e001044
7. National Sleep Foundation: Get Moving to Get Better Sleep. https://www.thensf.org/get-moving-to-get-better-sleep/

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