Trouble sleeping? Your neighborhood could be partly to blame, experts say
Visual elements like trees and other greenery, and high “enclosure” rates (tall vertical buildings with few open spaces) aligned with longer sleep and fewer insomnia symptoms.
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Alternatively, highly walkable environments with abundant sidewalks and traffic signs were linked to a lower sense of safety and shorter periods of sleep, possibly due to increased foot traffic and crowdedness, the study found.
Artificial intelligence analysis of Tokyo streetscapes revealed that neighborhoods perceived as safer were linked to longer sleep durations among residents. (iStock)
“We hope that opening up this new perspective creates further possibilities for designing healthier neighborhoods,” Matsushita said.
Palinski-Wade recommends using blackout curtains to “shut out some of that light pollution and get more restful sleep.”
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Environmental factors inside the home, including room temperature and whether bedroom doors are left open or closed, can also impact how much outside noise gets into the bedroom.
The findings do not necessarily suggest that people need to relocate, the researchers noted.
Household interruptions, pet disruptions and ambient noise levels can significantly interfere with sleep quality, the researchers said. (iStock)
The study relies on self-reported sleep data from working adults in Tokyo, which may be subject to imperfect memory, and only represents a specific group of people.
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Because the research focused strictly on residents living on the lower floors of apartment buildings in a single city, the findings may not apply to people living on higher floors or in rural and suburban settings.
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“The simplest thing you really can do is try to set yourself on a schedule where you go to sleep, and you wake up at the same time each night,” Palinski-Wade advised, noting that maintaining this consistency on days off or weekends has the biggest impact on sleep quality and quantity.
Khloe Quill is a lifestyle writer with Fox News Digital. She and the lifestyle team cover a range of story topics including food and drink, travel, and health.
Article source: https://www.foxnews.com/health/trouble-sleeping-neighborhood-partly-blame-experts-say