Walking and jogging are excellent aerobic exercises and can be beneficial stressors to the body. This means they can improve sleep because the brain will compensate for the stress by
Walking for 15-45 minutes on a daily or near daily basis is enough for most people to get good sleep benefits from it.
Jogging, however, with its jolting impact on the body has more downsides than walking and should be done less often or for shorter periods. Over-exercising can cause you pain and result in poor sleep.
Maximize Sleep Benefits Through Variation
To maximize the sleep benefits of walking and jogging, you should remember that the goal is to make it a stimulating exercise. When people begin walking or jogging, they often find it stimulating and challenging, which is what you want.
However, over time, people often get bored and their bodies largely get used to the exercise. This will reduce the sleep benefits of the activity. It will also make the person more likely to stop or reduce their walking / jogging.
You can avoid this problem through variation. To keep the exercise interesting for your mind and stimulating for your body, you have many options. For example, you can change the location for where you walk or jog. This will provide you will new sights, sounds, smells and probably at least somewhat different physical stressors that will keep the exercise fresh.
You can find a place to run or walk that has a different terrain than what you are used to. In other words, if you usually walk or jog where the land is flat, try to find some hills. You can vary your speed and go a little faster or slower than you usually do. You can run in different temperatures and weather conditions. You can bring your dog with you or push your child in a stroller.
Get the idea? And you can probably come up with other variations of your own. The point is to keep running or walking an interesting activity to fully maintain the sleep benefits and keep you interested so that you don't quit.
Kill Two Birds
You don't necessarily have to make a lot of time to walk or jog. You can do them while you do other things, preferably other things that you really enjoy. For example, if you like to shop, then go to a big shopping mall and take the long way to walk to where you want to shop.
If you have some time during lunch hour, and you usually spend it on the phone, you can talk on your cell phone while you walk around the building or sidewalks outside. You can go to places that you enjoy where a lot of walking is required, such as a museum, amusement park, festival, etc.
Sun Exposure Can Help You Sleep
Walking and jogging have the added benefit of providing you with sun expose if done outside. Being exposed to bright light, especially in the early morning or late afternoon can properly set your body-temperature rhythm, resulting in better sleep. Of course, you do not want to overexpose yourself to direct sunlight and risk sun burn. Sleeping well when you have a sunburn? Forget about it.
When To Walk or Jog for Best Sleep
To best combat insomnia, walking or jogging in the late afternoon or early evening is ideal. However, if you only have time earlier in the day, then this is acceptable. Do not jog or walk at least three hours before bed because your body needs time to return to a restful state.
Safety
Finally, for safety reasons, always try to walk or jog on sidewalks or on streets where there is little if any traffic. Jogging or walking after dark is especially dangerous even if done on sidewalks because you may injure yourself by stepping on or tripping over something because you cannot see well.