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Comment by mililani | Hacker News Reader

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.

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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.

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

> 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.

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.

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