Exercising in the morning may be key to improving insomnia, reducing anxiety, and establishing a healthy routine

From insider.com

Exercise in all its forms has many health benefits.
From improving heart health and relieving aches and pains to getting stress relief and boosting your mood, the effects of a quick weight lifting session or speedy run can have a profound effect on your entire body — including your sleep.
One key health benefit of exercise is enabling you to sleep more deeply and restfully.

Spending more time indoors, you may have found yourself in a vicious circle of struggling to establish a normal day-to-day routine and feeling anxious. While you're at home, there are all sorts of workouts and activities you can try to not only stay fit and keep your moods up but also to improve your sleep and maintain a healthy immune system.

And, as the National Sleep Foundation suggests, there are better times to exercise if you want to ensure you establish a good day-to-day routine and get a good night's rest.

Assuming you have a healthy circadian rhythm, exercise first thing in the morning is generally the best time.
"Those who pump iron in the a.m. tend to fall asleep faster than those who work out later in the day," the foundation explains.

This can be attributed to cortisol, a hormone that regulates how alert you feel. Normally, its levels rise in the morning, peak around 8 a.m., and then drop again in the evening.
Physical activity in the morning is probably more in harmony with your body's hormones and helps you to establish a daily routine.

This means the best time for you to work out is probably at around 7 a.m. But if you struggle to squeeze in a decent workout around then, working out in the afternoon can still be beneficial — particularly around four to five hours ahead of getting into bed, considering that your body temperature rises during exercise and needs a sufficient amount of time to lower before you fall asleep.

As the foundation explains, exercise will raise your body temperature, increase your heart rate, and stimulate your nervous system, which is why it may be better to avoid exercising too hard too late on in the day.

There is an argument, however, that some people are unaffected by exercising within two hours of hitting the sack: "An evening workout could raise your body temperature similar to a warm bath. Just like your body cools off post-bath, making you feel sleepy, a post-workout cooling may also help to set the stage for sleep," according to National Sleep Foundation.

While you can experiment to see what suits you best, yoga, pilates, or other less strenuous activities like stretching may be less risky exercises to try of an evening if you're struggling to squeeze in physical activity but still want to fall asleep more easily.

https://www.insider.com/insomnia-coronavirus-anxiety-mental-health-stress-sleep-endorphins-fitness-workout-2020-4