Mechanisms underlying the associations between different types of nature exposure and sleep duration: An 18-country analysis

Leanne Martin; Mathew P White; Lewis R Elliott; James Grellier; Thomas Astell-Burt; Gregory N Bratman; Maria L Lima; Mark Nieuwenhuijsen; Ann Ojala; Anne Roiko; Matilda van den Bosch; Lora E Fleming

doi:10.1016/j.envres.2024.118522

Mechanisms underlying the associations between different types of nature exposure and sleep duration: An 18-country analysis

Environ Res. 2024 Feb 24:250:118522. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.118522. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ European Centre for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter Medical School, UK. Electronic address: l.martin5@exeter.ac.uk.
² European Centre for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter Medical School, UK; Cognitive Science HUB & Urban and Environmental Psychology Group, University of Vienna, Austria.
³ European Centre for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter Medical School, UK.
⁴ European Centre for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter Medical School, UK; Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland.
⁵ Population Wellbeing and Environment Research Lab (PowerLab), NSW, Australia; School of Health and Society, Faculty of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia.
⁶ School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, USA.
⁷ Department of Social and Organizational Psychology, ISCTE - University Institute of Lisbon, Portugal.
⁸ ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.
⁹ Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Finland.
¹⁰ School of Pharmacy & Medical Sciences, Griffith University, Australia.
¹¹ ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain; Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Finland; School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Canada; Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, Canada.

PMID: 38403148
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.118522

Abstract

Whilst green space has been linked to healthier sleep outcomes, the roles of specific types of nature exposure, potential underlying mechanisms, and between-country variations in nature-sleep associations have received little attention. Drawing on cross-sectional survey data from an 18-country sample of adults (N = 16,077) the current study examined: 1) the relative associations between six different types of nature exposure (streetscape greenery, blue view from home, green space within 1 km, coast within 1 km, green space visits, blue space visits) and insufficient sleep (<6 h vs. 7-10 h per day); 2) whether these relationships were mediated by better mental wellbeing and/or physical activity; and 3) the consistency of these pathways among the different countries. After controlling for covariates, neighbourhood nature measures (green space, coast within 1 km) were not significantly associated with insufficient sleep; but nature visible from home (streetscape greenery, blue views) and recreational visits to green and blue spaces were each associated with less insufficient sleep. Significant nature-sleep associations were mediated, to varying degrees, by better mental wellbeing, but not self-reported physical activity. Country-level heterogeneity in the strength of nature-sleep associations was observed. Increasing nature visible from the home may represent a promising strategy for promoting healthier sleep duration at the population level, whilst nature-based interventions encouraging individuals to spend time in local green/blue spaces may be an appropriate target to assist individuals affected by insufficient sleep.

Keywords: Blue space; Green space; Nature; Sleep; Wellbeing.