Harm of unhealthy sleep can be reduced with exercise
Too little or too much sleep has been linked to a shorter life expectancy, but research involving more than 90,000 adults has revealed that some of the negative effects can be overcome with physical activity. Research shows that an increase in physical activity levels reduces the risk of death related to insufficient or excessive sleep.
DOIs: 10.1093/eurjpc/zwad060
Adequate exercise as well as adequate sleep help prolong life. However, the relationship between physical activity and sleep duration to promote health remains unclear.
The main limitation of the previous study was that the subjectively self-reported use of physical activity and sleep could be inaccurate. For comparison, an accelerometer measures motion and thus provides more objective and reliable sleep and activity estimates.
This study looked at the combined effects of sleep duration and physical activity on mortality risk using accelerometers. The study included 92,221 individuals between the ages of 40 and 73 who wore accelerometer bracelets for 1 week.
Nightly sleep duration of less than 6 hours is classified as short, 6 to 8 hours as normal, or longer than 8 hours. Total physical activity volume is divided into low, medium and high tertiles. Physical activity of moderate to vigorous intensity is classified according to WHO guidelines.
Mortality registries provide mortality data. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality. The secondary outcome was death from cancer or cardiovascular disease.
The average age of the participants was 62 years old and just over half of them were women. During a median follow-up of 7 years, there were 3,080 deaths, 1,871 deaths from cancer, and 1,074 deaths from cardiovascular disease.
The effect of physical activity on the impact of sleep on mortality was examined. Activity volume is considered first, followed by intensity of physical activity.
Factors that were adjusted to possibly influence the association were gender, age, ethnicity, education level, deprivation status, sleep measurement season, shift work, diet , BMI, drinking and smoking.
In participants with low activity levels, short and long sleep was associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality by 16% and 37%, respectively.
Only naps are harmful. In people with moderate levels of exercise, the chance of dying from all causes increased by 41%. Sleep duration was not associated with mortality risk in people with high levels of exercise.
Those who slept little with low levels of exercise had a 69% increased risk of cardiovascular death, a risk that was eliminated when exercise increased to moderate or high levels. Long sleepers with low levels of exercise had a 21% increased risk of dying from cancer, which was removed with moderate or high levels of exercise.
Similar results were observed for moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity. Short and long sleep were associated with a 31% and 20% increased risk of all-cause mortality in people who did not meet WHO recommendations.
These risks were eliminated in those who followed WHO guidelines. Low sleepers who did not meet the recommended exercise intensity had a 52 percent increased risk of cardiovascular death, which was canceled out in those who met the recommendations.
Long sleepers who did not meet the recommendations had a 21% increased risk of dying from cancer, which was rescinded in those who followed the WHO recommendations.
The results indicate that health-promoting efforts that target both sleep duration and physical activity may be more effective in preventing or delaying the premature death of middle-aged and older adults than focusing solely on physical activity. focus on a single behavior.
Individuals consistently getting healthy amounts of physical activity as well as sleep would be an ideal scenario. However, this study indicates that adequate exercise can partially offset the harmful effects of too little or too much sleep.
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