Effects of aerobic exercise in early evening on the following nocturnal sleep and its haemodynamic response.

We determined effect of aerobic exercise in early evening on the quality, quantity, and haemodynamic response of subsequent nocturnal sleep in the home. Ten healthy young participants performed two protocols, with/without cycle ergometer exercise (60 min at 50% heart rate reserve) in early evening. Blood pressure (BP) (Holter) and physical activity (accelerometer) were measured from late afternoon of day 1 until noon of next day (day 2). Additionally, at bedtime participants were equipped with a small device worn on the wrist that identified sleep stage. There were no substantial differences in objective indices of sleep between two protocols (total sleep time: 438 ± 76 vs. 457 ± 64 min; P > 0.10). BP during nocturnal sleep tended to be lowered by prior exercise (MAP: 71 ± 5 vs. 68 ± 6 mmHg; P = 0.08). Aerobic exercise in early evening apparently has no acute effect on sleep per se, but seems to have a residual effect on haemodynamics, i.e. prolongation of post-exercise hypotension.