Evening Exercise Could Be the Secret to Sleeping In

Turns out a little movement before bed could be the key to hitting that snooze button guilt-free.

A study out of the University of Otago in New Zealand found that doing some light exercise in the evening — think chair squats, calf raises, standing knee lifts — can actually help you sleep longer.

Participants in the study slept an average of 27 minutes more than when they stayed parked on the couch.

Before you panic at the idea of doing a two-hour HIIT session before bed: relax. The trick is to sprinkle in these mini-moves every 30 minutes for four hours leading up to bedtime.

Each little set takes just three minutes — so we’re talking 24 minutes total. That’s basically one commercial break.

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The important part: keep it light. Heavy workouts before bed can mess with your heart rate and body temp, which makes it harder to doze off. But low-key movement — like stretching, walking around the house, or even dancing in your living room — is fair game.

So next time you’re binging Netflix, toss in a few squats during the show. You might just earn yourself an extra half-hour in dreamland.