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Updated: May 29, 2025
08:36
Collecting Sleep, Circadian, Fatigue, and Performance Data in Complex Operational Environments
Published on: August 8, 2019
11.9K
Low-to-Moderate Daytime Physical Activities Predicted Higher-Quality Sleep Among Habitually Active Agropastoralists
Ming Fei Li1, Puseletso Lecheko2, Tumelo Phuthing2
1Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Summary
Daily physical activity, especially low-to-moderate intensity, improves sleep quality in rural South African agropastoralists. Sleep quality was more influenced by daytime activity than by sleep duration.
Area of Science:
- Human physiology
- Sleep science
- Anthropology
Background:
- Public health promotes physical activity (PA) for sleep benefits, supported by evidence.
- Limited research exists on daytime PA and sleep in non-urban, subsistence-farming populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the bidirectional relationship between physical activity and sleep.
- To investigate age, gender, and occupation differences in activity patterns.
Main Methods:
- 113 agropastoralists in South Africa wore actigraphy watches for data collection.
- Analyzed moderate-to-vigorous-intensity PA (MVPA), low-intensity PA (LPA), and sedentary activity.
- Examined data across three field seasons (7111 individual days).
Main Results:
- MVPA decreased with age, but older adults had comparable sleep to younger ones.
- Herders engaged in more high-intensity activity; women had higher MVPA and less sedentary time than men.
- Increased MVPA and LPA durations reduced total sleep time but improved sleep quality (efficiency, fragmentation, wake after sleep onset).
Conclusions:
- Low-to-moderate intensity physical activity consistently predicted higher sleep quality in habitually active agropastoralists.
- Sleep quality was more significantly impacted by physical activity than by sleep duration.
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