Screens and sleep. Maybe not so bad?

Last Friday was World Sleep Day. Did you miss it? If so, that feels apt.

Many of us feel stuck trying to catch up and sleep better. We’ve all been told not to look at a screen before bedtime because the light disrupts sleep, right? Surprisingly, researchers have found that the light from screens delayed people’s sleep by a max of 10 minutes. But even if your device’s bright light doesn’t have a huge effect, spending your day on a computer won’t prepare your body for a good night’s sleep. One of the surest methods to make sure you can fall asleep faster and stay asleep?

Yes, you guessed it: get enough movement.

A scoping review of sleep research just published in Nature cites a study that found this:

Female adults with insomnia who commit to at least half an hour of daily exercise gain 15 additional minutes of sleep compared with those who do not exercise.

As a female adult who has experienced some sleepless nights, I’ve been tracking my steps for years and my movement-to-sleep ratio has become clear:

Less than 10,000 = oof, it’s gonna be hard to fall asleep

10,000 = decent night’s sleep

12,000 = solid night’s sleep

16,000 and up = I better stretch or my aching back might keep me up

Do you have a magic number?

We want to hear from you 

Our mailbox is open! Write to us at bodyelectric@npr.org. Tell us about your struggles and triumphs with movement breaks.

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