If you’re hoping to fit in more exercise tomorrow, going to bed earlier tonight might make a difference, according to a new study that explored how bedtime habits relate to physical activity the next day.
Conducted by researchers at Monash University in Australia, the study doesn’t claim that earlier bedtimes directly cause increased exercise, but it does reveal a strong link between the two.
Researchers established that link by analyzing wearable data from 19,963 individuals over a full year—comparing nearly six million day-night cycles.
“These findings have important public health implications,” says Monash University psychologist Josh Leota.
“Instead of treating sleep and exercise as separate goals, health campaigns could highlight how going to bed earlier may naturally lead to more physical activity.”
Earlier Bedtimes Linked to More Next-Day Exercise
Overall, the data revealed a clear link: earlier bedtimes correlated with higher levels of moderate-to-vigorous exercise the next day. For instance, people who went to bed at 9 p.m. averaged 30 more minutes of activity than those who slept at 1 a.m., and 15 more minutes than those who went to bed at 11 p.m.—the participants’ average bedtime.
Sleep duration also influenced activity levels: people who slept an average of 5 hours logged 41.5 more minutes of exercise than those who got 9 hours—though the benefits of extra movement might not outweigh the harms of too little rest.
Another notable insight was that when individuals went to bed earlier than usual but still got their typical amount of sleep, they were more likely to reach their personal records for physical activity the following day.
The researchers propose several possible explanations for these findings. People who go to bed later might generally lead busier lives, which could reduce the chances of sleeping in or using the snooze button the next morning—although the study didn’t include data on wake-up times.
Misaligned Work Hours May Undermine Sleep and Exercise for Night Owls
According to Leota, “Traditional 9-to-5 schedules often don’t align with the natural sleep rhythms of night owls, resulting in social jetlag, poorer sleep quality, and greater daytime fatigue—all of which can lower motivation and limit opportunities for exercise the following day.”
The study accounted for factors such as age, BMI, and whether it was a weekday or weekend. The researchers also observed a similar but weaker trend in a second, more varied dataset of 5,898 participants, which supported the original findings.
Since this study identifies a correlation rather than causation, it’s still possible that other factors—such as having a natural preference for staying up late—might explain both the later bedtimes and reduced levels of physical activity. More research is needed to separate out these influences before firm conclusions can be drawn.
That said, it’s well established that both sleep and exercise are vital for good health. This research suggests a practical step many people could take to improve their overall well-being: gradually shifting to an earlier bedtime.
“While we’ve long known that sleep and physical activity are essential for health, this study reveals just how closely linked they are in everyday life,” explains Monash University psychologist Elise Facer-Childs.
“Our results held true across different groups and indicate that going to bed earlier—without reducing total sleep time—could help people be more physically active the next day.”
Read the original article on: Sciencealert
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