Study Reveals Sleep Quality Key to Boosting Daily Activity Levels

Research from Flinders University indicates that many individuals struggle to meet essential sleep and physical activity guidelines, with only a small percentage achieving both. The study, published in Communications Medicine, analyzed data spanning over three and a half years from more than 70,000 participants, revealing that fewer than 13% consistently meet the recommended benchmarks for sleep and physical activity.

The findings suggest that enhancing sleep quality may be a critical factor in increasing daily activity. The research team examined over 28 million days of health data collected from consumer health devices, which tracked nightly sleep and daily step counts. Alarmingly, nearly 17% of participants averaged less than 7 hours of sleep and fewer than 5,000 steps a day, a combination associated with a heightened risk of chronic disease, weight gain, and mental health issues.

Sleep Quality Drives Physical Activity

Lead author Josh Fitton, a Ph.D. candidate at Flinders University’s Sleep Health research institute, emphasized the study’s key finding: sleep quality and duration significantly influence the next day’s physical activity levels. “We found that getting a good night’s sleep—especially high-quality sleep—sets you up for a more active day,” Fitton stated. “People who slept well tended to move more the following day, but doing extra steps didn’t really improve sleep that night. This highlights the importance of sleep if we want to boost physical activity.”

Interestingly, the data indicated that the optimal duration of sleep for achieving higher activity levels was not necessarily the longest. “Our data showed that sleeping around 6 to 7 hours per night was linked to the highest step counts the next day,” Fitton explained. “However, this does not mean one should reduce sleep duration, as quality remains crucial. Those who experienced less tossing and turning at night were consistently more active.”

Reassessing Health Guidelines

These findings raise important questions regarding the practicality of current health recommendations. Fitton pointed out, “Our findings call into question the real-world compatibility of prominent health recommendations and highlight how difficult it is for most people to have an active lifestyle and sleep well at the same time. Only a tiny fraction of people can achieve both recommended sleep and activity levels every day.”

Senior author Professor Danny Eckert stressed that for individuals juggling various life demands, prioritizing sleep could be the first step towards enhanced health and activity levels. “Focusing on sleep could be the most effective way to boost your energy, motivation, and capacity for movement,” Eckert noted. “Simple changes like reducing screen time before bed, keeping a consistent bedtime, and creating a calm sleep environment can make a significant difference.”

The research highlights that sleep should not be viewed merely as a passive state but as a vital contributor to an active and healthy lifestyle. The study underscores the need for a reevaluation of how health guidelines are constructed and implemented, aiming to better align with the realities of daily life.

For more information, refer to the study titled “Bidirectional associations between sleep and physical activity investigated using large-scale objective monitoring data,” published in Communications Medicine on March 15, 2025.