Sleep quality was the strongest and most consistent predictor of next-day well-being<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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THURSDAY, Aug. 28, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Fruit and vegetable consumption, physical activity, and especially better sleep quality are associated with psychological well-being of young adults, according to a study published online Aug. 27 in PLOS One<\/em>.<\/p>\n Jack R.H. Cooper, from the University of Otago in New Zealand, and colleagues investigated the relationships between three key health behaviors — sleep quality, physical activity, and dietary choices — and psychological well-being among young adults aged 17 to 25 years. The analysis included three datasets: a cross-sectional survey (1,032 individuals) and two daily diary datasets (818 and 236 individuals) of young adults living in New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.<\/p>\n The researchers found that better sleep quality was the strongest predictor of well-being across all three datasets, followed by fruit and vegetable consumption. There were significant associations between these health behaviors and well-being both at the between-person and within-person levels. Physical activity was also a reliable predictor of well-being, especially at the within-person level. Similar patterns were confirmed with the use of device-measured physical activity. Pathways linking health behaviors to well-being were mostly additive, with the exception of a buffering pattern for the within-person level, suggesting that higher fruit and vegetable intake could potentially mitigate the negative impact of poor sleep on daily well-being.<\/p>\n “Young adults don\u2019t have to reach some objective benchmark of healthiness to see well-being improvement,” Cooper said in a statement. “Sleeping a little better, eating a little healthier, or exercising even for 10 minutes longer than you normally do was associated with improvements to how you feel that day.”<\/p>\n