Had a bad day at office? Brisk walk may be the way out!

New Delhi: A brisk walk or a long swim can prevent office frustations from spilling over into your home, claim scientists.

The study that tracked sleep patterns and daytime physical movements found employees who recorded an average of more than 10,900 steps each day were less likely to perpetuate abuse at home than those recording fewer than 7,000.

"Research shows employees who are mistreated at work are likely to engage in similar behaviours at home," said Shannon Taylor, professor at University of Central Florida in the US.

"If they've been belittled or insulted by a supervisor, they tend to vent their frustration on members of their household. Our study shows that happens because they're too tired to regulate their behaviour," Taylor said.

The study concludes sleep and exercise are intervention points that can be leveraged to prevent the spread of harmful behaviour.

(With PTI inputs)