That study also found that being outdoors one day results in naturally waking up earlier the next. This makes sense; if you have a good sleep in the evening, you’ll probably find it easier to wake up in the morning.

But feeling perky first thing goes beyond the number of hours spent asleep. A 2021 paper published in the journal Nature found a morning walk had a massive impact on our energy levels throughout the day.

“Light during the day – especially in the morning – advances your clock, so you get tired earlier in the evening, but light exposure late in the day or early night will delay your clock, pushing back the time that you will feel tired,” explained the study’s author, Horacio de la Iglesia. “Ultimately, the time that you fall asleep is a result of the push and pull between these opposite effects of light exposure at different times of the day.”

So if you struggle to sleep or you wake up fighting against sleep inertia (ie feeling groggy on waking), then it might be worth assessing how much time you spend walking, jogging or sitting outside.

Just 17 minutes of walking or sitting outside will help you to fall asleep quicker, new study claims