Do you struggle to fall asleep at night? You’re not alone. More than a third of American adults don’t get enough sleep, according to the CDC.

That lack of sleep can have serious health consequences, and impairs your ability to think and concentrate throughout the day. If you’re one of the millions of people who struggles to get enough sleep, you know just how detrimental that can be.

The good news is, the path to better sleep can be a lot easier—and more fun—than you might think. Just 30 minutes of cycling a day can greatly improve your ability to both fall asleep and stay asleep all night long.

How and why is cycling so beneficial? Here are the top 7 reasons getting on your bike can help you ride off into dreamland.

#1: Regular exercise leads to better sleep. 

In a 2013 poll by the National Sleep Foundation, they found more than 3 out of 4 of those who regularly exercise reported having good sleep in the previous two weeks. Conversely, only about half of non-exercisers said they slept well in that same timespan.

What’s more, non-exercisers are around twice as likely to feel drowsy throughout the day and have a higher risk for sleep apnea.

Cycling is an excellent way to start an exercise routine. You use all your major muscle groups, from your shoulders down through your back, core, and legs. It also allows you to customize your workout intensity to match your fitness level, making it great exercise for those who are typically more sedentary.

#2: Cycling is gentler on your body than other common exercises.

High-impact exercises like running are more likely to result in injuries, joint pain, and other aches. This kind of pain and soreness can keep you awake when you get into bed, working against the sleep benefits exercise would otherwise give you.

A study by public health professor David Nieman found that long-distance runners experienced up to 400% more muscle damage and over 250% more inflammation during recovery periods than cyclists who exercised an equal amount. This means less post-workout pain and discomfort for cyclists and a lower chance you’ll be kept awake by pain.

#3: Cycling reduces back pain.

Pain and soreness aren’t just caused by exercising. Working at a desk can cause muscle imbalances that lead to pain in the shoulders and back, as can poor posture, past injuries, or chronic spinal issues and deformities. Like the muscle aches mentioned above, this pain can easily keep you up at night.

Cycling helps to loosen your muscles and increase blood flow throughout your body without adding strain to your back muscles. Stationary biking is especially gentle on the spine since you won’t experience the jarring and spine compression that can come from biking over rough terrain.

The position you’re in while cycling can also be more comfortable for those with chronic back positions. For those with lumbar spinal stenosis, for example, the forward-leaning position of most bikes feels more natural than the upright position of running. Reclining or recumbent bikes, meanwhile, offer a comfortable position for those with lower back conditions like lumbar degenerative disc disease.

#4: It’s a great stress reliever. 

Work-related stress can have a significant detrimental impact on both sleep quality and duration. Over time, this can lead to a sleep deficit that results in significant health issues, both mental and physical.

In studies of individuals with anxiety disorders, regularly exercising as little as 10-30 minutes a day has been shown to work as well as medication for alleviating symptoms in many cases.

In the short-term, exercise releases endorphins, brain chemicals that elevate and stabilize depressed moods. It also reduces the level of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline in the body which can interfere with your regular sleep patterns.

#5: Cycling can help to alleviate insomnia. 

Anxiety and stress are frequent causes of insomnia, so the stress relief benefits mentioned above are a factor here, too. For those suffering from chronic insomnia, though, some types of exercise are better than others—and cycling is in the beneficial category.

A review of studies by the National Sleep Foundation found that moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, such as walking or cycling, helped insomnia sufferers fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. These effects were not observed from high-intensity exercises like running or weight lifting.

While researchers are still investigating the exact reasons for this, one possibility has to do with body temperature. Your body temperature goes up when you’re working out, then drops post-exercise. That temperature drop can help tell your body it’s time to sleep, especially if you go for a bike ride in the afternoon or evening.

#6: It reduces sleep apnea risk (and symptoms for those who have it).

Sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder in which a person occasionally stops breathing while they’re asleep. This interrupts your sleep, leading to daytime grogginess, headaches, and irritability or depression.

Body weight has been directly linked to sleep apnea. Those who are overweight or obese are at a higher risk for the condition, since the build-up of fatty tissues around the neck and throat can restrict airflow, especially while sleeping.

Regular aerobic exercise, like cycling, can help you reach and maintain a healthy body weight. This both reduces risk for developing sleep apnea and can reduce symptoms among those who suffer from it.

Loss of muscle tone due to aging can also exacerbate sleep apnea. As the throat muscles weaken, they’re more likely to restrict airways during sleep. Regular cycling can prevent this loss of muscle tone due to age, another long-term benefit for your sleep hygiene.

#7: Regular exercise helps you regulate your circadian rhythm. 

Your circadian rhythm is essentially your body’s clock, sending signals that make you feel more awake during certain periods and more sleepy during others. Controlled by the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), this internal clock releases hormones such as cortisol during “awake” times, and other hormones like melatonin during “sleep” times.

Exercise can also affect how these brain chemicals are released, and can play a significant role in shifting or correcting issues with your circadian rhythm, according to a study by the National Health Research Institute.

The Bottom Line on Cycling and Sleep

There are a lot of factors that can make it hard to fall asleep at night, from chronic health issues to stress and anxiety from your daily life. Cycling isn’t a cure-all, by any means, but its benefits for both your physical and mental health can be a key piece of the puzzle.

Getting enough sleep is crucial to overall wellness and long-term health. If you struggle with falling (and staying) asleep, adding a cycling routine to your daily life is an excellent choice.