Step Into Sleep: How Walking Enhances Your Sleep Quality

Most people don’t get enough sleep. Individual needs vary, but most adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep each night, consistently. While there are many ways to improve sleep quality, including good bedding, an appropriate temperature, and stopping screen use an hour before bed, walking regularly can also help your sleep quality. How?

Sleep Deprivation: Common Issues and Health Impacts

Sleep deprivation can affect your physical and mental health, as well as your life and productivity. Here are some common issues:

Physical Health Risks

Not getting enough sleep:

Increases your risk of chronic diseases, especially obesity, type two diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
Weakens your immune system, making you more susceptible to infectious diseases.
Disrupts your appetite hormones, leading to unhealthy cravings that can cause weight gain.
Raises your blood pressure, further increasing your risk of heart disease and stroke.
Increases your risk of certain cancers, including colorectal cancer.

Mental Health Risks

On the mental health front, sleep deprivation:

Increases your risk of mood disorders such as depression and anxiety, and increases irritability and mood swings.
Negatively affects cognition, including memory, attention, and decision-making.
In severe cases, it can lead to disorganized thinking, hallucinations, and even psychosis.
Increases your risk of being in an accident. Driving while fatigued is as dangerous as driving while drunk. Drowsy driving caused 693 deaths in 2022. It can also increase the risk of workplace accidents.

Key Benefits of Walking for Sleep Quality

So, how does walking regularly help your sleep?

The primary benefit is that walking reduces stress levels and elevates mood. If you are less stressed and in a better mood, you sleep better. This then becomes a positive feedback cycle where improved sleep encourages you to be more active.

Walking is also associated directly with improved sleep quality and duration. Part of how this works is that walking gets you outside and exposes people to natural sunlight, improving your circadian rhythm. For best results, go for a walk in the morning. Another aspect is that all physical activity increases the production of melatonin, the hormone that controls your sleep-wake cycle, as well as improving your body temperature regulation. You should exercise every day, at least one to two hours before bedtime to allow your endorphin levels to decrease.

Walking also has broader health benefits. It improves your heart health and muscle strength, lowers blood pressure, and reduces depression and fatigue.

Practical Tips for Incorporating Walking Into Your Routine

So, how do you incorporate more walking into your busy schedule? It can be hard to find time to exercise.

Here are our practical tips:

Walk more when commuting. If you live close enough to walk to work or school, do. Otherwise, park farther away or get on the bus a stop later or off a stop sooner to increase your steps. This Sworkit Walking Warm-up can help motivate you and get you ready.
Take a short walking break every hour or so. This helps refresh your mind, boost productivity, and mitigate the health impact of sitting. Consider going to a bathroom that is further away, refilling your water, or any other common habit.
Spend part of your lunch break walking outside. Even 10 minutes can add significant steps. If you buy lunch, go to a place slightly further from the office. If you don’t, consider walking to a nearby park with your lunch.
Take the stairs. Whenever you can, opt for stairs over elevators or escalators. Avoiding the elevator also reduces energy usage and frees it for those unable to take the stairs.
Walk with others. Invite friends or family to join you for your walks. This makes the activity more enjoyable and encourages consistency. At work, try to get your coworkers to agree to walking meetings. It’s also worth considering the option of getting a dog.
Set goals and track progress. Use step-tracking apps and set achievable daily goals. You can sync to your Sworkit Health app to get great step tracking and goal monitoring.
Comfort and safety. Comfortable shoes are key. Consider buying actual walking shoes. You can always change shoes in the office if you need to. Choose safe routes that help make the experience enjoyable and hassle-free.

Walking every day is an easy, low-impact way to improve your health and your sleep. Improving your sleep then helps your health and energy levels. Both can also dramatically improve your productivity.

Sworkit’s tools help make daily walking part of your routine. In addition, it encourages overall mental and physical wellness. Let us help you build a routine, including walking, that is sustainable and healthful for you.