fbpx

Lockdown Health Trends: How Did New Zealanders Fare?

As we enter Level 1, the water cooler conversation is still “how was your lockdown?” And for many New Zealanders, Fitbit data* over the level 4 lockdown reveals that three health trends were clear throughout this time. 

In level 4, New Zealanders were snoozing more (and even more so than the rest of the world), we were embracing the home workout life, and we were feeling calmer than most corners of the globe. 

Sleep Duration Increase

New Zealand came out on top for the highest level of lockdown sleep in the world, exceeding Europe, Australia, Asia Pacific and North America. 

Could this be a reflection on how we approach life in general – to enjoy a sleep-in as per our ‘she’ll be right’ attitude? 

Resting Heart Rate Decrease

Although many of us felt tired and anxious during the lockdown, in comparison to other parts of the world, our hearts were thanking us for slowing down. 

Data showed that our resting heart rates decreased significantly in comparison to Australia, Great Britain, and the United States of America. 

Perhaps we felt safer and calmer working from home, or those who were surrounded by loved ones in their bubbles felt comforted? 

Active Zone Minutes Increase

Although our traditional step count decreased during the lockdown, our Active Zone Minutes increased. 

Active Zone Minutes indicate an increase in heart rate for a continuous period, for example, going on a treadmill for a workout. 

It seems like cutting out daily tasks that involved walking didn’t mean that we dropped the home workouts and runs altogether. However, this is an interesting result because there were so many more people out on daily walks in our neighbourhood! 

It’ll be interesting to see what the data will reveal in the coming months, once we’ve eased back into our regular routines. 

* Fitbit’s new large-scale global data is based on aggregated and anonymized Fitbit user activity and heart rate data worldwide between 1 January – 30 April 2020.

Spread the love
Rate This Article:
Processing...
Thank you! Your subscription has been confirmed. You'll hear from us soon.
Sign up to our email newsletters for your weekly dose of good
ErrorHere