Daily exercises or 9 hours of sleep, what should you prioritise for better health and fitness?

Health benefits of adequate sleep: Researchers identified that a good night’s rest of six to seven hours, along with good sleep quality, supported the highest levels of physical activity the next day (Image: Pexels)

In today’s world, where hustle culture promotes productivity over sleep, it is only natural to wonder if that’s the right way of living. With the hectic lives people lead, a good night’s rest often takes a backseat, along with daily movement. This quite literally becomes a ‘breeding ground’ for several chronic diseases, such as heart-related illnesses, obesity, cancer, and other issues.

When it comes to taking care of your health, both sleep and physical activity are considered important. However, according to a new study published in Communications Medicine, most adults struggle to achieve the required amounts of both. To understand which is more important: daily exercise or adequate sleep, researchers studied the interaction between nightly sleep and daily movement to gauge how they are linked.

What the study says

The study conducted by researchers from Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia analysed data from more than 70,000 adults, collected from 244 geographical regions between January 2020 and September 2023.

Also read | Daily exercise can keep your brain sharp, but timing matters most

To monitor sleep, participants put sleep sensors under their mattresses and used a smart watch to record daily step counts. This helped researchers examine how sleeping patterns at night affected physical movement the next day.

The study found that fewer than 13 percent of participants met the recommended target of 7-9 hours of sleep per night along with 8000 steps per day. What was striking was that the quality of sleep indicated how much people moved the next day, suggesting that sleep influenced physical activity more strongly than physical activity affected sleep.

Quality sleep led to more step counts the following day, but increasing the number of steps didn’t have the same effect on sleep the same night. Researchers identified that a good night’s rest of six to seven hours, along with good sleep quality, supported the highest levels of physical activity the next day.

Also read | 5 simple habits to improve sleep quality, wake up feeling fresh

Health benefits of sleep

The study shows how sleep is crucial for better health. It strengthens the immune system and prevents chronic health issues such as obesity, heart diseases, and metabolic disorders. Quality sleep regulates hormones and is essential for tissue repair. It also influences mental health by improving mood, focus, and clarity.

While the study clearly notes the importance of sleep over exercise for being more active the next day, it also suggests how exercise supports staying fitter and productive. Exercise should not be negated for it enhances quality of life. It boosts heart health, improves metabolism, strengthens bones and muscles, and more. It is thus best to strike a balance between the two.