Raise your hand if you didn't sleep well last night. Findings published in the latest issue of Preventive Medicine show that increasing the amount of time you spend outdoors can improve sleep quality, particularly for men and people over the age of 65.
To better understand the relationship between insufficient sleep and outdoor space, researchers analyzed data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, which surveyed of more than 250,000 adults in the United States. This information was paired with data from a U.S. Department of Agriculture index that scores the country's geographical areas for natural amenities, using hours of sunlight, an important factor in regulating a person's circadian rhythm, and temperature. According to a release:
For men, the relationship between sleep and exposure to green space was much stronger than for women. And males and females 65 and over found nature to be a potent sleep aid, [Diana Grigsby-Toussaint, PhD, said.]
Grigsby-Toussaint noted that living near green landscapes is associated with higher levels of physical activity and that exercise in turn predicts beneficial sleep patterns.
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The finding should be a boon for people who are having trouble sleeping as they age. "If there is a way for persons over 65 to spend time in nature, it would improve the quality of their sleep--and their quality of life--if they did so," Grigsby-Toussaint said.
Researchers added that the findings underscored the importance of preserving nature and providing safe access to nature in urban development.
Previously: Green roofs are not just good for the environment, they boost productivity, study shows, Nature is good for you, right? and Out-of-office autoreply: Reaping the benefits of nature
Photo by Garry Knight
