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Exercise helps you live longer if you are one of those who do not sleep the right hours

2023-06-07T10:42:58.315Z

Highlights: Sleeping too little or too much is associated with a shorter lifespan, but scientists have found that physical activity counteracts some of these negative effects. One in four adults believes that they do not rest well and Spain is a world leader in the consumption of medicines to fall asleep. The optimal sleep duration for adults and seniors is between 7 and 9 hours. This optimal duration in children is longer, according to the European Society of Cardiology. The study confirms that the increased risk of mortality due to inadequate sleep duration, too long or too short, is exacerbated by physical activity.


Sleeping too little or too much is associated with a shorter lifespan, but scientists have found that physical activity counteracts some of these negative effects.


Sleep is a real pleasure, but in addition, sleeping, and sleeping well, is an undeniable need to survive and also to increase our longevity. However, it seems that less and less sleep is getting worse. In fact, one in four adults believes that they do not rest well and Spain is a world leader in the consumption of medicines to fall asleep. Undoubtedly, these data should be an alert to reflect on sleep habits, in terms of quantity and quality.

The optimal sleep duration for adults and seniors is between 7 and 9 hours; This optimal duration in children is longer. Current evidence suggests that too little or too much sleep may increase the risk of all-cause mortality; And women are more susceptible to shorter sleep durations. So much so that maintaining a healthy sleep duration is already a very relevant public health issue.

You may be wondering what exercise has to do with sleep: it has to do, and a lot. We know that sleep and physical exercise influence each other through a reciprocal and complex interaction that includes multiple physiological and psychological pathways. Adherence to sufficient physical activity and healthy sleep is essential for extending life expectancy. Although the scientific results so far have not been very conclusive due to some limitations of the studies, we believe that sufficient physical activity can attenuate the risk of mortality related to unhealthy sleep. The main limitation of these works, which is the measurement of physical activity subjectively, has been overcome in a study published last month to know the relationship between physical activity and sleep duration on mortality risk.

The study in question has been published in the journal of the European Society of Cardiology. Almost 100,000 participants of both sexes, with an average age of 62 years, had their physical activity objectively measured for an entire week and had their deaths followed for seven years. During that period, just over 1,000 people died from cardiovascular disease and 1,800 from cancer. Sleep duration was classified into 3 levels: short (less than 6 hours a day), normal (between 6 and 8) and long (more than 8). Medium- to vigorous-intensity physical activity was classified according to whether or not it met the World Health Organization (WHO) standard recommendations: about 150 minutes a week of medium intensity or 75 min of vigorous intensity, or an equivalent of combinations.

Read more: Maintaining regular sleep schedules can help prevent cardiovascular disease

With these results it was observed that there is an independent association between sleep duration and mortality risk. This relationship is U-shaped, meaning that those who slept little (less than 6 hours) or a lot (more than 8) had a higher risk of death than people with normal sleep duration (6-8 hours). This occurred both in the risk of all-cause mortality and in the case of the risk of mortality from cardiovascular causes. However, sleep duration was not associated with cancer mortality risk.

If we stratify the above association by categories of physical activity, the results are encouraging and favorable for people who meet the WHO physical activity recommendations. Complying with these guidelines reduces the excess risk of mortality (from all causes, cardiovascular disease and cancer) associated with sleeping little or sleeping. Therefore, physical activity can mitigate the deleterious association of inadequate sleep durations with mortality. From these data it is also concluded that the group with the lowest risk of death were people who had a normal sleep duration (6-8h) and who performed large amounts of physical activity.

The most interesting message from this study is that those individuals who sleep many or few hours of sleep can reduce their high risk of death, compared to individuals who sleep the ideal time, if they reach the WHO physical activity recommendations. The authors speculate on the mechanisms by which this phenomenon of reduced mortality risk occurs in those who sleep many or few hours. Poor sleep is associated with a number of pathologies, including: hyperactivation of the sympathetic nervous system, insulin resistance, endothelial dysfunction and inflammation. On the contrary, physical activity strengthens cardiorespiratory fitness, inhibits the inflammatory response and improves glucose metabolism.

This study confirms conclusively that the increased risk of mortality due to inadequate sleep duration, too long or too short, is exacerbated and aggravated by physical inactivity. Therefore, these findings support the integration of physical activity into clinical sleep interventions and public health guidelines.

ENFÓRMATEis the space of EL PAÍS SALUD where we will talk about those aspects related to physical activity, sport and physical and mental health. Physical activity and sport are part of the culture of all civilizations and play a fundamental role in the health of society at all levels, both physical and mental, at all ages, from childhood to old age, both men and women. The Sciences of Physical Activity and Sport have tried to advance scientific knowledge about the importance of movement and physical exercise on the body, as well as the processes that explain why certain adaptations, modifications or changes occur at different levels (physiological, anatomical, motor, emotional or cognitive). Therefore, this space seeks to find scientific explanations that support and justify the beneficial reasons for physical activity and sport. Likewise, it will try to discuss and refute certain myths or false beliefs existing in society on specific issues of physical exercise and health.

You can follow EL PAÍS Salud y Bienestar on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Source: elparis

All news articles on 2023-06-07

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