Sleep may trump exercise for better health—here’s why this controversial take matters. A new global study suggests that prioritizing sleep could yield greater overall health benefits than focusing on physical activity, especially since most people struggle to hit both targets.
Published in Communications Medicine, the research analyzed sleep and step data from over 70,000 participants across the world, collected over 3.5 years. The findings show that the majority fall short of the commonly recommended benchmarks: seven to nine hours of sleep and at least 8,000 steps per day. Remarkably, only about 13% of people globally met both goals consistently.
Lead author Josh Fitton, a sleep health researcher at Flinders University in Australia, notes that these results prompt a rethinking of how sleep and exercise guidelines work together in real life. “Only a tiny fraction of people can achieve both recommended sleep and activity levels every day, so we really need to think about how these guidelines work together and what we can do to support people to meet them in ways that fit real life,” he says. The takeaway isn’t simply that sleep wins, but that guidelines may need to be adapted to real-world constraints and individual routines.
The study found a consistent pattern: many people either sleep well or stay active, but few manage to secure both. About 17% of participants averaged fewer than seven hours of sleep and fewer than 5,000 steps per day, placing them in a sedentary category associated with higher risks of chronic disease, weight gain, and mental health challenges.
There are caveats. The study relies on data from personal tracking devices, which are more common in wealthier countries, potentially skewing results toward certain populations. Despite that limitation, the link between sleep and daily activity emerged clearly: sleeping roughly six to seven hours per night correlated with higher step counts the following day, suggesting rest may drive or enable movement.
Given time constraints, researchers propose prioritizing sleep before exercise when needed. “Prioritising sleep could be the most effective way to boost your energy, motivation, and capacity for movement,” says Danny Eckert, senior author and professor at Flinders University.
Practical tips from the team include limiting screen time before bed, maintaining a consistent bedtime, and creating a calm sleeping environment. These small changes can expand energy for daytime activity and improve overall wellbeing.
Thought-provoking question: If the balance between sleep and exercise varies by person and circumstance, should health guidelines shift to emphasize customizable targets rather than a one-size-fits-all approach? What tweaks would you try to align both rest and activity with your real-life schedule?
