Part 3/7:
High Strain Workouts: Evening workouts that were intense resulted in a noticeable uptick in resting heart rate, by an average of 3.9 beats per minute, which is about 6.8%. Additionally, heart rate variability was found to drop by over 30%.
Timing Matters: The adverse effects of evening exercise became pronounced with workouts that were performed closer to bedtime. Engaging in high-stress exercises during the two to six-hour window before sleep had a detrimental impact on heart rate recovery and sleep quality.
Chill Exercise: On a positive note, light exercise, such as yoga or a slow walk, conducted over two hours before bed did not significantly affect sleep quality.