We spend about one-third of our lives asleep, yet many of us don’t sleep well. Recent research suggests that the solution to some sleep problems may be just a short leave.
Although previous studies have indicated that physical activity improves sleep quality and increases its duration, a lot of the research has involved planned exercise in specific populations. To fill the gaps, the new study used data from the Boston-area initiative to determine whether simple, everyday physical activity may affect overall sleep patterns.
For the research, researchers recruited 59 adults — 72 percent of whom were female — who didn’t participate in a structured exercise regimen. Each individual received a wearable device to record the number of steps and amount of time spent in physical activity every day; they were also inspired to report on the quality and duration of their sleep throughout the study, including prior to and at the end of the monthlong trial.
Researchers from Brandeis University along with other institutions reviewed the data and detected a hyperlink between activity and sleep quality.
Female participants who had more steps or moved more reported better sleep overall. It was less true for men, although researchers believe this result may have been due to the small pool of male participants.
Moreover, the association held on the smaller scale for both sexes. When volunteers were more active than normal, they reported sleeping better at night.
You don’t need to walk miles to reap the benefits: Even the least-active volunteers slept better after taking more steps on some days.
The researchers acknowledge that the relationship requires further study, but integrating more activity to you may be worth trying. It could lead to some better z’s.
