A new study conducted by an interdisciplinary team of researchers at The University of Texas at Austin unveiled the connection between physical activity, sleep quality, and psychological health. Published in Nature Scientific Reports, the study focused on how daily physical activity impacts sleep stages and emotional well-being over an extended period.
The research, which involved 82 young adults, utilized advanced wearable technology to monitor sleep and activity levels.
"It’s an unfamiliar, clinical-type setting, which can be stressful," said Benjamin Baird, a research assistant professor of psychology at UT and one of the study's authors. "And you can’t really look over time, either. So, there are always questions about generalizability from that kind of design."
The study found that physical activity played a role in sleep quality by lengthening REM latency, indicating a potential improvement in transitioning to deeper sleep stages before entering REM sleep. "We’ve shown using a standard Fitbit that anyone could wear — not even an expensive scientific device — that it is actually sensitive to these sorts of sleep architecture measures," said Baird.
David M. Schnyer, a co-author of the study and chair of the Department of Psychology, highlighted the future implications of the research. "The world is your oyster now," he said. "You can use this device to study all manner of different sleep architecture data related to lifestyle — related to mood and mood disorders — in the field, not in a lab, that people might have thought was not possible previously."
The study's findings align with existing beliefs that regular exercise leads to better sleep quality and improved overall well-being. By utilizing wearable technology to track participants' behaviors continuously, the researchers gained insights into the impact of daily activities on sleep patterns and mood over an extended period.