Does having a 'sense of purpose' in life help you sleep better?

Conclusion This study explored the relationship between having a sense of purpose in life and sleep quality and sleep disorders. Researchers found generally, having a greater sense of purpose in life was associated with better quality of sleep and a decreased likelihood of sleep disorders like sleep apnoea and restless leg syndrome. The researchers suggest this may be down to people having better overall physical and mental health. Although these are plausible hypotheses, there are a few points to note. As with the majority of cohort studies, it isn't possible to prove cause and effect and fully rule out the influence of other health, lifestyle and personal factors in the associations. For example, having a healthy lifestyle can have an impact on quality of sleep. Drinking too much alcohol, smoking, not getting enough exercise, and mental health problems may reduce the chances of having a good night's sleep. And it's difficult to know the exact impact of having less of a sense of purpose in life on sleep quality. This is a fairly abstract concept that may have various external influences this study wasn't able to fully explore. The length of time a person has felt a particular way may also have an effect. For example, the effect on sleep may not be the same in someone who's felt they have no purpose in life for a long time compared with someone who's recently been under acute stress. It would be interesting to conduct this study in young adults to see if the finding...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Lifestyle/exercise Mental health Source Type: news