[mililani]

I've noticed that a lot of people, including myself, don't suffer from insomnia with age, but the ability to sleep deeply for 7 to 8 hours. Nowadays, I average 6 hours of decent sleep, but, no matter how rested (or lack thereof), I get up and feel like crap throughout the day. I have NO problems, though, with falling asleep.

[rsync]

All else being equal, exercise solves this problem.

Do an hour or so of resistance training, mainly with your legs[1], and you'll sleep just fine. All else being equal.

Alternatively, you can walk for 3-4 hours, which is actually a surprisingly enjoyable activity - especially in an urban environment. Look up the word "flaneur".

[1] Squats or lunges (or leg press, if you must) for the biggest muscles in your legs, and calf raises, etc., for your calves, which are also quite large muscles.

[mililani]

No ways. I exercise a lot. I run three times a week, sometimes up to 7 miles each run. I also do lots of weights. Exercising has never helped me to stay asleep. My wife is the same way too. And she exercises just as much as I do. A lot of people I know with similar sleeping problems to this have also said exercise hasn't helped them out.

[tatalegma]

Why does this work? Any scientific research backing this suggestion?

[Domenic_S]

> A study in the journal Sleep found that postmenopausal women who exercised for about three-and-a-half hours a week had an easier time falling asleep than women who exercised less often.

http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletters/Harvard_Womens_Hea...

I was told by my doc that the bipedal motion of walking helps our brain process problems but I haven't looked for any scholarly references on that. If true, that would help sleep too.