Can exercise help you sleep better and reduce fatigue?
Coffee anyone? Sleep deprivation is practically a rite of passage in motherhood, we all know it, we resent it, so what can be done to make it even slightly more bearable? A recent study Impact of postpartum physical activity on maternal sleep: a systematic review and meta-analysis 2025 Jones, Ruchat et. al offered some interesting insights into how exercise may improve maternal sleep so naturally, I was all over it when it came out!
The researchers conducted a comprehensive review of 12 different studies across 9 countries, involving over 3,000 postpartum women! Their goal was to examine the relationship between exercising in the postpartum period and maternal sleep outcomes; here is what their findings were…
1. Enhanced sleep quality
Engaging in exercise led to a significant improvement in sleep quality among postpartum women. Although the evidence for this was moderate certainty (and not high), it still suggests that exercise potentially could help you achieve more restful and restorative sleep…when you do actually get some.
2. Reduced daytime fatigue
Exercising can feel like the last thing on your mind when you’re tired and frazzled, however more excitedly (and with high certainty evidence, not moderate like the last point), the study found that exercising postpartum was associated with a notable decrease in daytime and general fatigue.
You know that groggy, almost hungover feeling you get in the daytime when lacking sleep? Well, we all know the phrase “blow away the cobwebs” and when we pop outside for a stroll in the fresh air, it makes us feel ten times better; thats because you are exercising!
This means that incorporating exercise into you daily routine in whatever way, shape or form, could help you feel more energised and less exhausted during the day. WINNER!
So what can even gentle movement look like that you can try? A walk, some yoga, pilates. Or try this video here:
It’s very important however that you make sure you adjust according to energy levels, you don’t always have to go full throttle at it as this can exhaust you even more.
This reel here can show you what I mean by that and giving your ‘situational best’ on the day AND only a few minutes can be more than enough to give you an energy boost:
3. No significant change in sleep duration
Ok so its not ALL win win win. I guess the amount of sleep we get is probably the one thing we could do with more of, but sadly exercise can’t make you sleep for longer - that is down to baby I’m afraid! While sleep quality improved in some of the cases in the study, as stated above, there was no significant effect on the total duration of sleep, sleep latency (time taken to fall asleep), sleep efficiency, or sleep disturbances (thank baby there!). So while exercise may not increase the number of hours you sleep for in a night, remember it can improve the quality of the sleep you get (when you get it!).
Final thoughts on this
As a mum you probably have interrupted nights on a regular basis or every day. I am still waking 1-2 times a night for one of my 3 kids, or waking for ‘phantom wakes’ as I call them - where non of my kids are awake, but I feel like I can hear them, so I wake anyway! So really this goes for mums at all stages, but especially with a newborn, finding time for exercise can be challenging and when you’re tired it’s the last thing on your mind I am sure…. however, this new research analysis indicates the potential benefits of incorporating exercise into your routine, not just for physical health, but for better sleep quality and potentially reducing daytime fatigue. Remember you dont have to go all out high intensity for an hour, but short, manageable bouts of exercise can make a difference.
Convinced by the new data? Why not try this full body reset for 10 minutes as an energy shot to boost your day today:
Or this one which I literally did in my pyjamas!
If you’re interested in reading more about exercising postpartum and how to fit it into short bursts in your busy schedule, you can download my free eGuide here which will give you more guidance on what to focus on after birth.
