Are evening workouts actually worse for sleep?

Hi Everett,

Mostly no, evening workouts are not inherently worse. Most research finds they do not hurt sleep if you finish at least 60 to 90 minutes before lights out. What hurts is very hot or all out work right before bed, because heart rate, adrenaline, and core temperature stay high. With your 8 to 9 pm window, you should be fine if you keep it moderate and plan a proper cool down and wind down.

For cardio, think steady zone 2 to low zone 3 for 30 to 50 minutes, keep average heart rate under about 70 percent of max, and avoid hard surges in the last 15 minutes. For lifting, do 6 to 10 moderate sets, leave 1 to 2 reps in reserve, and skip PR attempts at night. Example routine: 40 minutes easy cycling ending by 9, then a 10 minute treadmill walk, 3 minutes nasal box breathing, and a lukewarm shower with a brief cool rinse to help your body temperature drop. Keep the room lights warm and dim after the workout, have a small carb plus protein snack like yogurt with a banana, and finish fluids 30 minutes before bed so you are not up to pee. If you notice sleep still suffers, move any intervals or heavy compound sets to earlier in the day when possible, or keep the intense bits in the first half of the session and extend the cool down to 15 minutes.

Not worse by default. Keep it 30-45 minutes, zone 2 cardio or moderate lifting, no all-out sets. Finish by 9 and spend 5-10 minutes cooling down and breathing, then a warm shower. You don't need pricey sleep hacks to make it work.

Hey Everett,

Evening itself isn't the villain. It's the heart-rate spikes and body heat right before lights out. Apartment gyms closing at 10 is goofy, but you can work around it. Cut anything explosive after 8:30, keep it around RPE 6-7, and stop sets a couple reps short of failure. Do 30 easy minutes or a calm strength session and long exhale breathing and a cool rinse after. Kill bright lights on the way home and keep the room cool.

Evening workouts aren't automatically bad for sleep, but they sure as hell cost you if you're pushing hard and spiking that adrenaline right before bed. I've been trying to budget my time and energy on a tight schedule, and those late sessions always end up costing me precious rest. Keep it to 30 minutes of moderate stuff like walking or stretching, nothing intense.

Man, I hate how everyone's schedule forces these late workouts, and then you pay for it with crappy sleep the next day. It's frustrating because mornings are impossible for most of us with jobs and life crap. Evening exercise can elevate your core temperature and cortisol, making it harder to wind down, which totally screws my nights. Complaining aside, try cooling down properly with a cold shower after, that helps bring the body temp down. If you must do it late, go for low-intensity like yoga for 45 minutes max, and time it so you're done at least an hour before bed. Seriously, the sleep debt builds up fast otherwise.

Split custody forced me into 8:30 workouts and my sleep tanked until I stopped trying to PR at night. Swapped HIIT and heavy finishers for steady pulls, goblet squats, and mobility, about 40 minutes tops. I end with five minutes on the floor doing slow nasal breaths and a short stretch & then a quick warm shower. Small carb snack after, then lights low and phone away or my brain stays revved. On the nights I keep it easy, I'm out fast. On the nights I chase a pump, I just stare at the ceiling.