Walking can help you get the sleep you need for optimum health.

“Pretty much every system in our body can be affected by a lack of sleep,” says sleep specialist Dr Angela Campbell.

Some effects, like feeling tired, a bit grumpy and unable to concentrate, are obvious, but others develop over time.

Sleep keeps your immune system working, your brain, heart and blood vessels in good shape, and gives your body time to repair.

“In the long term, if your sleep’s not great, poorer health outcomes are more likely,” says Campbell, an associate professor at Otago University’s WellSleep Centre.

The good news is that walking can help adults get the seven to eight hours of sleep they need every night. Research shows walking can improve sleep quality, reducing night-time awakenings and increasing the time spent in the deeper stages of sleep – benefits that apply to regular sleepers, too.

Campbell says walking in the morning helps to regulate our sleep–wake cycle.

“Being exposed to bright light tells the brain; ‘Hey, it’s time to be alert and get going for the day.’”

An evening walk, meanwhile, can send you to sleep.

“If you’ve gone for a walk and got your body temperature up, when you stop your temperature will drop and that will help with sleep onset,” Campbell says.

The evening walk shouldn’t be too vigorous – a light to moderate intensity – and should be taken at least 90 minutes before bed.

By tiring you, walking helps increase the pressure to sleep that builds throughout the day. But there is a tipping point, according to Campbell.

“If you’re overdoing it, it might take longer to fall asleep, particularly if you’ve done that vigorous exercise within 90 minutes of your bedtime.”

Most of the patients seen at the WellSleep Centre struggle for breath while asleep.

“With obstructive sleep apnoea, we see a lot of people for whom weight is an issue,” Campbell says.

Without enough shut-eye, people tend to crave sugar for energy, making it harder to maintain a healthy weight. Excess abdominal weight can affect the breathing muscles in the chest, and neck fat puts pressure on the upper airway, making it more likely to collapse during sleep and stymie breathing.

In these cases, an exercise programme is part of the treatment, and Campbell suggests walking can be a good starting point.

It can also help with sleeplessness.

“Patients with insomnia often describe going to bed and their brain just revs up,” Campbell says.

Walking may help those patients relax and shift their thoughts away from work or whatever it is they’re thinking about in the evening, she says. Another issue is when people wake in the night and their brain switches back onto high alert. 

Insomnia can be symptomatic of anxiety and depression. Sometimes walking helps by increasing blood flow to the brain and influencing the body system that regulates our stress response and mood.

It’s important to be aware of the link between insomnia and stress and how helpful walking can be, Campbell says.

“I think the mental health benefits are huge.”