Lack of sleep can affect more than your mood, concentration and energy levels. A medical study has found that insufficient sleep may also disrupt the way people walk, making it harder to maintain balance, avoid obstacles and coordinate their movements.
People experiencing sleep deprivation are already familiar with symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, anxiety, irritability and depression. However, researchers have identified impaired walking ability as another possible consequence.
How Does Lack of Sleep Affect Your Walking?
Researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in the United States found a connection between sleep duration and walking patterns.
According to the researchers, walking is not entirely an automatic process. The brain continuously responds to visual and auditory signals and adjusts walking speed and movement accordingly. Sleep deprivation can interfere with this coordination.
The study challenged the earlier assumption that walking largely happens automatically, suggesting that the brain plays an active role in maintaining a person’s gait and balance.
Students Took Part in the Research
The research focused on students at the University of São Paulo in Brazil who were experiencing significant sleep deprivation.
Researchers used sleep trackers to monitor participants’ sleeping patterns over 14 days. On average, the students slept approximately six hours each night.
Half of the participants were kept awake for an entire night before undergoing a treadmill walking test.
The results showed that sleep deprivation significantly affected their walking performance. Participants experienced disrupted walking rhythms, increased stumbling and poorer overall performance.
However, researchers also observed that students who tried to make up for lost sleep during weekends showed some improvement in the walking task.
How Much Sleep Do You Need?
The study highlighted the importance of getting sufficient sleep to maintain proper brain function and physical coordination.
Recommended sleep durations include:
Adults: 7–8 hours every night.
School-age children: 9–12 hours.
Teenagers: 8–10 hours.
Although recovering lost sleep during weekends may offer some benefits, many sleep experts do not recommend frequently changing sleeping and waking schedules. Research has linked irregular sleep patterns with an increased risk of cardiovascular problems.
Why Consistent Sleep Matters
The researchers emphasised that maintaining adequate sleep is particularly important for people working rotating or night shifts, who may struggle to follow regular sleeping schedules.
They suggested that recovering from significant sleep loss could help improve walking control, although maintaining a consistent sleep routine remains important.