Could Trees And Sidewalks Affect Your Sleep?

When searching for a home you may not think too much about sidewalks or streets lined with trees. But researchers say you might want to consider them before you buy a new home in New York State. And if you're a fan of getting every last minute of sleep you can, the street a house is on might matter.

False Sense of Safety

Researchers in Tokyo looked at more than 214,000 street-level photos across the Greater Tokyo Area and compared them to the sleep habits of over 1000 employed adults in their 40s and 50s.

Surprisingly, streets with heavy sidewalk and pedestrian-fence infrastructure, which are typically linked to urban walkability, were associated with worse sleep outcomes.

But streets visually enclosed by buildings and trees correlated with less insomnia and longer sleep.

Tips for Better Sleep

Let's be honest, not many people get 8 hours of good sleep each night, but the quantity of sleep doesn't always mean lack of quality sleep.

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Keep your bedroom cool (around 65°F).

Take a warm shower about an hour before bed.

Get 10 to 15 minutes of natural sunlight within an hour of waking up.

Wake up at the exact same time every single day even on weekends, regardless of how late you went to bed.

New York State's Sleep Score

New York proved to be a neutral ground when it came to a list of the Best and Worst States for sleep in the US.

Less than a quarter of New York residents consistently get 8 hours of sleep, and nearly half report getting 6 hours or less.

And it's no surprise that New York City ranked near the bottom of the list of US cities for sleep health.

READ MORE: 5 Tips for Better Sleep

So, the next time you are house hunting, will you factor in sidewalks and tree-lined streets? We just had a tree taken down in our front yard and now I know why my sleep score is dropping. But, as long as my backyard is pointed towards the west, that's good enough for me.