A new study has found that young adults who sleep well, eat more fruits and vegetables, and stay active feel better mentally and emotionally.
The research, published in PLOS One, shows that simple daily habits can make a big difference in how people feel.
Even better, the study found that eating healthy food can help reduce the emotional toll of a bad night’s sleep.
The research team, led by Dr. Jack Cooper (formerly from the University of Otago in New Zealand), looked at three key habits: sleep quality, eating fruits and vegetables, and physical activity.
These habits are all things people can control in their daily lives, and they have long been known to improve physical health. But this study focused on their effect on mental well-being.
To explore this, the researchers studied three different groups of young adults, aged 17 to 25, from New Zealand, the UK, and the US. The first group had 1,032 participants who filled out a survey.
The second group of 818 New Zealanders kept a daily diary for 13 days, writing about their sleep, diet, exercise, and how they felt. The third group of 236 New Zealanders also kept a diary for eight days and wore Fitbits to track physical activity.
In all three groups, one finding was clear: sleep quality had the strongest link to mental well-being. People who slept better felt better. The second strongest factor was eating fruits and vegetables.
Even eating more fruits and veggies for just one day gave people a mood boost. Exercise also helped—but mostly when comparing the same person across different days, not as strongly when comparing different people.
The researchers also found that these three healthy habits seem to work independently and add up. That means each good habit brings its own benefit, and doing more of them could boost well-being even more.
One special finding stood out: eating lots of fruits and vegetables appeared to soften the emotional impact of a bad night’s sleep. Likewise, a good night’s sleep seemed to protect against the effects of not eating well.
Lead researcher Dr. Jack Cooper said that young people don’t need to be perfect to see benefits. Sleeping a little better, eating a bit healthier, or moving just 10 minutes more than usual could all make people feel better that same day.
Professor Tamlin Conner, a senior author on the study, added that sleep was the most reliable factor for next-day well-being, but all three habits helped. She also pointed out that young adulthood can be a tough time, with stress from money, studies, and social life. So knowing what small changes can help people feel better is important.
This study included mostly young people from similar backgrounds in three countries. So future research might include more diverse groups from other parts of the world.
Also, while the study showed strong connections between habits and well-being, it didn’t prove that the habits caused the changes in mood. Still, the findings offer useful guidance for anyone looking to improve their mental health.
The study is published in PLOS ONE.
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