New Delhi:
It is always said that you should have a purpose in life. But did you know that this had health benefits too. A new study has shown that adults who have a purpose in life are more likely to experience a good night sleep and less apnoea and restless leg syndrome.
Individuals suffer more sleep disturbances and insomnia with age.
But according to the observations made, people who had this belief that their lives had meaning had 63 per cent less chances of falling prey to sleep apnoea-- cessation in breathing during sleep-- several times in an hour.
Further, the individuals had 52 per cent less chances of having restless leg syndrome which is the condition of uncomfortable sensations in the legs and uncon trollable urge to move them.
They also had better sleep quality.
"Helping people cultivate a purpose in life could be an effective drug-free strategy to improve sleep quality, particularly for a population that is facing more insomnia," said Jason Ong, Associate Professor at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
"Purpose in life is something that can be cultivated and enhanced through mindfulness therapies," Ong added.
823 participants volunteered for the study. Participants included non-demented individuals of the age between 60-100 years with average age 79.
The participants answered a 10-question survey on purpose in life and a 32-question survey on sleep.
Although the participants who volunteered for the study were older in age but the researchers told that the findings were likely to be applicable to the broader public.
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