High Physical Activity Levels May Counter Serious Health Harms of Poor Sleep
Published:06 Jul.2021    Source:BMJ

Those who had both the poorest sleep quality and who exercised the least were most at risk of death from heart disease, stroke, and cancer, the findings indicate, prompting the researchers to suggest a likely synergy between the two activities.

 
Both physical inactivity and poor sleep are independently associated with a heightened risk of death and/or cardiovascular disease and cancer. But it's not clear if they might exert a combined effect on health. To explore this further, the researchers drew on information provided by 380,055 middle-aged (average age 55) men and women taking part in the UK Biobank study. The UK Biobank is tracking the long term health of more than half a million 37-73 year olds, who were recruited from across the UK between 2006 and 2010.