Trying To Sleep Better? This Combo May Work Better Than You Think
If you've ever gone down the rabbit hole of sleep advice, you know how quickly it adds up. Take magnesium. Try mouth tape. Cut off screens at 8 p.m. Download a meditation app. And then somewhere in between, someone tells you to exercise more.
Most of us treat these as separate projects. One day you meditate, another you up your exercise. But what if stacking them together is actually the secret?
A new study1 suggests that's exactly the case. And the results were surprisingly clear.
Comparing exercise, sleep coaching, & both
In this randomized clinical trial, researchers followed 112 women between the ages of 18 and 30 who all had one thing in common: poor sleep quality.
Participants were split into four groups for eight weeks. One group did high-intensity circuit training three times per week, think short, efficient workouts using bodyweight movements that combine strength and cardio. Another group received sleep coaching, including personalized guidance and a digital program based on cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), which targets habits and thought patterns that interfere with sleep.
A third group combined both strategies: regular high-intensity workouts plus structured sleep coaching. The final group didn’t change their routine.
To track results, researchers used both subjective measures (how participants felt about their sleep) and objective data from wearable devices that captured things like sleep efficiency, how often they woke up, and how restless they were overnight. They also looked at markers of cardiometabolic health, including cholesterol levels.
The results: Why combining habits may work better
All three intervention groups improved their sleep in some way compared to doing nothing. That alone reinforces what we already know: both exercise and better sleep habits matter.
But the most meaningful improvements showed up in the group that combined both.
These participants fell asleep more efficiently, spent less time awake during the night, and had fewer disruptions overall.
What’s especially interesting is how these changes seemed to build on each other. Exercise can help regulate circadian rhythms, reduce stress, and increase sleep pressure—the biological drive to fall asleep. Sleep coaching, on the other hand, helps align behaviors and routines so the body can actually follow through on that signal.
Put together, they don’t just add up; they reinforce each other.
The combined group also saw improvements in certain cardiometabolic markers, including cholesterol and adiponectin, a hormone involved in regulating inflammation and metabolism.
While the study was relatively short, it suggests that better sleep and regular exercise may create a ripple effect beyond just feeling more rested.
How to improve your sleep routine
If you’re trying to improve your sleep, this study offers a helpful reframe. It’s probably not about finding the one perfect habit. It’s about stacking the right ones.
Here’s how to apply that in a realistic way:
- Pair movement with routine. Exercise on its own can help, but it works better when your sleep schedule is consistent. Try anchoring both—moving your body regularly and going to bed at roughly the same time each night.
- Don’t overcomplicate your workouts. The training used in the study was efficient and structured, but it didn’t require hours in the gym. Short, higher-intensity sessions a few times a week can be enough to see benefits.
- Address behaviors, not just your environment. Sleep coaching in the study focused on habits, like winding down properly, limiting stimulating activities before bed, and creating consistency. These are often more impactful than chasing the “perfect” sleep setup.
- Think in systems, not quick fixes. Sleep improves when multiple parts of your routine start working together: movement, light exposure, stress, and timing.
The takeaway
There’s a tendency to look for a single lever when it comes to sleep—a new gadget, a trending hack, or a perfectly optimized routine that promises quick results (which we do love).
But this study is a reminder that sleep doesn’t operate in isolation. It reflects how your body is functioning as a whole.
When you combine supportive habits, like regular exercise and intentional sleep routines, you’re not forcing sleep to happen. You’re creating the conditions that allow it to. And that shift, from quick fixes to reinforcing habits, is often where the most meaningful changes start.
