Early nights might not be a top priority for many young adults, but a New Zealand university has found sleep to be the biggest contributor to mental wellbeing.

Published in the journal PLOS One, the University of Otago’s study looked at the ‘big three’ health and lifestyle behaviours in young adults – sleep, healthy eating and exercise. It found sleep to be the biggest contributor to wellbeing of young adults, followed by a healthy diet and being physically active.

A survey of more than 1,000 people was used, as well as data from two daily diary studies of a further 1,000 people. The participants were aged 17-25 and living in New Zealand, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

Senior author, Professor Tamlin Conner, of the University of Otago’s Department of Psychology, says wellbeing during young adulthood lays the foundation for long-term mental and physical health: “This age group faces unique pressures – such as leaving home, financial stress, educational pressures and social stressors – that can lower happiness.

“Understanding what lifestyle factors support wellbeing can help young adults not just get by but thrive during this critical life stage. Sleep quality stood out as the strongest and most consistent predictor of next-day wellbeing, with eating fruit and vegetables and being active also helping to boost wellbeing.”

An interesting finding was that healthy eating appeared to buffer some of the negative effects of insufficient sleep.

Sleep comes under the spotlight in the upcoming issue of HCM. Sign up here for a free digital subscription