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Movement linked to sleep loss in autism study
Physical activity may be the answer to sleep issues
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By Peter Clark (Senior Editor, Autism Info Center) Monday 9th February 2026 |
Research published in the journal Autism reveals that physical activity plays a significantly more critical role in sleep quality for autistic adults compared to non-autistic people.
The study analysed data from 318 autistic adults and 130 family members using wrist-worn devices over three weeks to track movement and rest.
The primary group of autistic participants was demographically diverse, identifying as 68.3% Caucasian, 6.2% Black, 3.4% Asian, and 4.8% Native American.
The findings show that while total sleep duration often appeared similar between groups, autistic participants experienced much higher day-to-day variability, meaning their sleep schedules were far less predictable.
Crucially, the researchers identified a specific link between inactivity and sleep loss.
For every single hour of sedentary behaviour during the day, autistic participants lost an average of 23.5 minutes of sleep at night.
In contrast, their non-autistic relatives lost only 17.1 minutes for the same amount of inactivity.
This suggests that the "cost" of sitting still is higher for the autistic community.
Furthermore, lower levels of physical activity were statistically linked to higher levels of social impairment.
The researchers conclude that interventions focused on increasing light physical activity could be a practical way to stabilise sleep patterns and improve quality of life for autistic adults.
Source: Autism (USA)
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/13623613251413538
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