Now this is something interesting.
A recent study published in Sleep Science found that sleep quality can be predicted from the way a person walks.
Researchers concluded that people with lower sleep quality exhibit less variation in their 'pelvic tilt', particularly noticeable when initiating walking after a turn.
Additionally, these same people often struggle to maintain a consistent walking speed.
Researchers utilised machine learning techniques to explore this relationship between walking patterns and sleep quality.
Sleep quality problems refer to issues that affect one’s ability to get enough restful and restorative sleep.
As we all know insufficient sleep leads to daytime fatigue, mood disturbances, and impaired cognitive function.
"This pattern of body movements a person makes in order to walk is called gait. Findings in older adults indicate that poor sleep quality might reduce gait speed, but also gait variability," the study reports.
These changes in walking patterns are associated with an increased risk of falling in the elderly. However, not many studies explored this in younger adults which is what this study did.
The results were that poor sleepers young or old may display subtle changes in gait normally associated with difficulty initiating and maintaining gait speed.
"These gait patterns are similar to individuals who are at a higher risk for lower extremity injuries or walking more slowly,” the study authors concluded.
If you want to go full geek read the study here.