The relations between sleep, physical activity, and time outdoors
Older adults experience increasing sleep disturbances not only as a result of aging, but also due to decreased physical activity that affect circadian rhythms. Article published in Plos One journal assesses the role of physical activity and time outdoors in predicting sleep health. Authors recruited a sample of 360 adult women and assessed total time and time of day spent outdoors, time spent on physical activity per day, and 4 measures of sleep habits. It was found that women with less total time outdoors had shorter nightly sleep. Importantly, getting outdoor time and light exposure during the morning as opposed to afternoon hours, was consistent with better sleeping time and is recommended for bright light therapy. Details by the link!