New research from The University of Texas at Austin suggests that exercising more frequently - ideally every day - could improve sleep quality, particularly the kind of deep, restorative sleep that supports better mood and mental health.
The study, published in the Journal of Physical Activity & Health, analyzed data from UT students who wore Fitbits for several months. Unlike earlier research that focused on total exercise time, this study looked at how often people exercised.
"We wanted to know whether it matters if someone spreads out their exercise over the week versus doing it all at once, like a 'weekend warrior,'" said Benjamin Baird, a research assistant professor of psychology in the College of Liberal Arts. "And for sleep health, frequency does seem to matter."
Chris Corral, who recently earned a master's degree in health behavior and health education from UT and co-led the study, explained the research builds on earlier findings linking exercise to non-REM, or deep sleep. This deep sleep, especially early in the night, is when the body does much of its physical and mental recovery.
Participants who exercised more frequently got more restorative sleep. "That's exactly what you want," Baird said. Surprisingly, as little as 10 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity per day was enough to make a difference in the young adults studied.
The team defined moderate to vigorous activity as something that raises your breathing but still allows for conversation - about a 6 on a 1-to-10 effort scale. Even light movement, such as regular walking or standing breaks, was linked to better sleep patterns and improved mood the next day.
Participants who exercised more often also reported feeling more energized and less stressed. "We saw that more non-REM sleep was tied to better next-day mood and energy," Baird noted.
Scientific studies backed by personal experience have long shown that regular exercise leads to better sleep - and better sleep leads to better overall well-being. But until now, much of the research has come from lab-based studies observing short-term effects, often after just one night.
What sets this study apart is its innovative use of wearable technology. By comparing participants' activity and sleep patterns continuously over months, researchers gain a much more comprehensive understanding of how daily habits influence sleep and mood over time.
The findings are part of the Whole Communities-Whole Health research initiative, which takes an interdisciplinary, community-engaged approach to studying health and well-being. The research team is now preparing to test whether these results hold true in a broader population as part of the Whole Communities-Whole Health five-year cohort study.
Corral emphasized that while current guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization recommend 150 minutes of exercise per week, they don't specify how to spread out that time. "Our results suggest that daily movement may be better for sleep than doing it all on the weekend," he said.
If future research confirms these findings in broader populations - including people of varying ages and activity levels - they could lead to updates in public health recommendations.
"Current guidelines don't reflect the importance of frequency for sleep health," Baird said. "Having this kind of data allows us to start thinking about whether they should."
Beyond sleep, the implications are wide-reaching. "Sleep is when your brain stores memories, clears waste and resets," Corral explained. "Better sleep means better brain health and potentially lower risks of chronic disease and depression."
Ultimately, the takeaway is simple: Daily movement - even in small doses - can make a big difference. "You don't need to run marathons," Corral said. "Just moving a little each day helps. Light activity counts too. Doing something is better than doing nothing."
