Massage & Fitness Magazine Fall 2017 | Page 8

undays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Friday evenings

were my workouts days—or evenings—during my

most of my college years. After hitting an hour of

weightlifting at the university’s recreation center, I

either jammed to Missy Elliot, Akon, Ciara—

whoever my teacher played—at the gym’s hip-hop class or go out salsa dancing until I can only hear cowbells donging against my eardrums. This was a routine I adopted even for a few years after I graduated, which may have kept my body fat level and depression at an all-time low. I had also believed that exercising before bedtime is better than during the day because sleep helps my body recover and heal. While I was uncertain whether my belief was true or not, current scientific evidence and research yielded some answers and questions on how exercise affects sleep quality.

By Nick Ng, BA, CMT

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massage & fitness magazine

Could Late-Night

Workouts

Improve Sleep?