Walk to a better night of sleep: testing the relationship between physical activity and sleep.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to determine whether low-impact daily physical activity, specifically walking, could improve sleep quality and duration in healthy middle-aged and older adults.
Results Summary
The study found that daily active minutes were positively related to sleep quality but not duration, with women showing a stronger benefit than men. On days participants were more active than average, they reported better sleep quality and duration in both sexes.
Population
59 participants (72% female) from the greater Boston area, average age 49.43 (±8.40) years.
Effective Dosage
Not specified (intervention aimed at increasing daily steps).
Duration
4 weeks.
Interactions
None mentioned.
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
low-impact daily PA, like walking | increase | sleep | healthy adults | - | positively related to | #1 |
daily active minutes | increase | sleep quality | participants | - | positively related to | #2 |
daily active minutes | no change | sleep duration | participants | - | not related to | #3 |
taking more steps and being more active | increase | sleep quality | women | - | reported sleeping better than | #4 |
being more active than average | increase | sleep quality | participants in both sexes | - | reported better | #5 |
being more active than average | increase | sleep duration | participants in both sexes | - | reported better | #6 |
low-impact PA | increase | sleep | women | - | positively related to | #7 |
low-impact PA | increase | sleep | men | - | positively related to | #8 |
PA | increase | sleep quality | - | - | plays a greater role in predicting | #9 |
PA | no change | sleep duration | - | - | plays a greater role in predicting | #10 |
OBJECTIVES: Many do not sleep well, particularly middle-aged and older adults. Physical activity (PA) shows promise for improving sleep; however, populations with clinical sleep disturbances have been a research focus. It remains unclear whether low-impact daily PA, like walking, can affect sleep in healthy adults. DESIGN: The current study was embedded within a 4-week randomized controlled trial to increase PA. SETTING: Participants from the greater Boston area were recruited to participate in a 4-week walking intervention on a rolling basis between October 2015 and August 2016. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty-nine participants (72% female) were enrolled in the study, with an average age of 49.43 (±8.40) years. INTERVENTION: The 4-week intervention was aimed at increasing participants' daily steps as the primary outcome. The current, supplementary study examined relationships between monthly and daily PA and sleep. MEASUREMENTS: Steps and active minutes were measured daily using a Fitbit Zip. Self-reports of sleep quality and duration were assessed daily, along with before and after the intervention. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Averaged across the month, daily active minutes were positively related to sleep quality but not duration. Sex moderated this relationship; women who took more steps and were more active reported sleeping better than those less active. Within persons, on days that participants were more active than average, they reported better sleep quality and duration in both sexes. Results suggest that low-impact PA is positively related to sleep, more so in women than men. Findings also showed that PA plays a greater role in predicting sleep quality than duration.