More Walking May Lead To Better Sleep
According to a new study on lifestyle and sleep patterns taking more steps during the day may be related to better sleep at night The New York Times reports.
Unlike past studies that have focused on the connection between sleep and planned exercise, this new study, recently published in Sleep Health, instead examined the link between more incidental, everyday activity.
Researchers at Brandeis University, as part of a broader effort to encourage adults in the Boston area to be more active, recruited “59 mostly middle-aged men and women in and around Boston who worked full time and were worried that they did not have enough time for physical activity.” These volunteers were given an activity monitor and, in some cases, suggestions as to how they could fit more walking into their day. They wore the activity trackers for a month and completed a variety of questionnaires at the start and end of the month, and during each day of the study.
The researchers found a clear and strong relationship between the amount of activity of the participants throughout the day and the quality of the sleep they reported. By walking just 7,000 steps a day, or just over 3 miles, researchers found typically led to better sleep.
