Want to Sleep Better? Try This Simple Hobby, Researches Show

Researchers suggest there is a new, natural way to improve sleep: gardening. Beyond relaxation exercises, physical activity, or medications like melatonin, gardening might be the key to better sleep.

Gardening involves a variety of tasks like digging, planting, weeding, mowing, watering, fertilizing, and harvesting. It's an activity that many find fulfilling and relaxing. But does it also help you sleep better? A team of researchers from the USA and China decided to investigate this.

While a 2017 meta-analysis showed that gardening benefits mental health, its effects on sleep were less understood and mostly examined in smaller studies—until now. The latest analysis used data from about 62,000 adults in the USA, collected in 2017 as part of a nationwide health survey. Participants were asked about their sleep quality, including if they had trouble falling asleep, frequently woke up during the night, slept less than seven hours, or suffered from sleep apnea. They also reported on their physical activities, including gardening.

Gardening Improves Sleep Quality

About 6% of the participants listed gardening as one of their most frequent physical activities. Another 67% exercised in other ways, like playing sports, and the remaining respondents were not very physically active. Among those who gardened regularly, the likelihood of experiencing sleep problems was 42% lower compared to the inactive group and 33% lower than those who were active in other ways. This was true regardless of age, gender, education level, or obesity.

There were also differences in sleep duration. Gardeners slept an average of 7.14 hours per night—10 to 15 minutes more than the other two groups. The more time people spent gardening, the lower their risk of experiencing poor sleep.

Why Does Gardening Help You Sleep?

The researchers believe that gardening is physically and mentally demanding, which may help improve sleep quality. It is well known that exercise can enhance sleep, and working outside in daylight and being in nature may have additional calming effects. However, it's also possible that people who already sleep well are more inclined to take up gardening. More research is needed to establish a direct cause-and-effect relationship.

Gardening could be an enjoyable way to improve your sleep naturally. So, if you're looking for a simple method to rest better at night, it might be time to grab a shovel and start planting!