2023-06-07 03:20:00
Sleeping is a real pleasure, but also, sleeping, and sleeping well, is an undeniable necessity to survive and also to increase our longevity. However, it seems that every time we sleep less and worse in Spain. In fact, one in four adults believes that they do not rest well and Spain is the world leader in the consumption of sleep medications. Undoubtedly, these data should be an alert to make us reflect on our sleep habits, in terms of quantity and quality.
The optimal duration of sleep for adults and the elderly is between 7 and 9 hours; this optimal duration in children is longer. The current evidence it suggests that sleeping too little or too much can increase the risk of mortality from all causes; and women are more susceptible to shorter sleep durations. So much so that maintaining a healthy sleep duration is already a highly relevant public health issue.
You may be wondering what exercise has to do with sleep: it has to do, a lot. We know that sleep and exercise influence each other through a complex, reciprocal interaction that includes multiple physiological and psychological pathways. Adherence to sufficient physical activity and healthy sleep is essential to prolong life expectancy. Despite the fact that the scientific results so far have not been very conclusive due to some limitations of the studies, we believe that sufficient physical activity can reduce the risk of mortality related to unhealthy sleep. The main limitation of these works, which is the subjective measurement of physical activity, has been overcome in a published study last month to find out the relationship between physical activity and sleep duration on the risk of mortality.
The study in question has been published in the journal of the European Society of Cardiology. Nearly 100,000 participants of both sexes, with a mean age of 62 years, had their physical activity objectively measured for an entire week and followed for deaths for seven years. During that period, just over 1,000 people died from cardiovascular diseases 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 standard recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO): about 150 minutes per week of medium intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity, or an equivalent of combinations.
With these results it was observed that there is an independent association between the duration of sleep and the risk of mortality. This relationship is U-shaped, meaning that people who sleep 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 mortality from all causes and in the case of the risk of mortality from cardiovascular causes. However, sleep duration was not associated with risk of cancer mortality.
If we stratify the above association by physical activity categories, 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, from cardiovascular diseases and from cancer) associated with little or a lot of sleep. Thus, physical activity may 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 that this study sends us 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 meet the recommendations of physical activity of the WHO . The authors speculate on the mechanisms by which this phenomenon of reducing the risk of mortality occurs in those who sleep many or few hours. Poor sleep is associated with a number of conditions, including: hyperarousal 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 conclusively confirms that the increased mortality risk due to inadequate sleep duration, whether 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.
ENFORMAT is 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 in men as in women. From the Sciences of Physical Activity and Sports, attempts have been made 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 times. levels (physiological, anatomical, motor, emotional or cognitive). For all these reasons, 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.
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