Mindful Walks In Nature Improve Sleep Quality, New Study Finds

For this study, researchers out of the UK focused on a group of people who are notoriously lacking in sleep: college students. They instructed 104 students who reported occasional trouble sleeping to take mindful 30- to 35-minute walks every day for a week. About half of the students were told to stroll through a lush public park, while the other half were directed to walk through a busy urban area in Edinburgh. Each student filled out a questionnaire about their sleep habits and quality before and after the week of walks.

Spending time in nature reduces stress and cognitive fatigue2, so researchers were curious to see if these benefits would also extend to better sleep. Stressful thoughts, after all, have a way of keeping people up at night3. Sure enough, the data demonstrated that the sleep quality of the nature group improved more than it did in the urban group on average—though it improved in both groups. As for why these walks promoted sleep, it could be the healthy movement, the introduction of a steady routine, the dose of vitamin D, the stress reduction—or, more likely, a mix of all these factors.

So, consider this your nudge to seek out some greenery for that "hot girl (or guy!) walk" today. Once you're out there, make it all the more mindful by feeling the sun on your skin, smelling the scenery around you, tasting the breeze, and removing your headphones for a few minutes to take in the sounds of nature. See your surroundings in a new way by going out at a different time of day than usual or adopting a walk persona, like a painter searching for your next muse or a botanist looking for a unique plant species. These cues will ignite all five senses and help you more fully and mindfully engage with your surroundings.