| Being active, carrying out exercise and breast cancer | | | | conscious thought that both physical activity and |
| are known to be linked, with those who are more | | | | sleep are important factors for young to middle-aged |
| active having a reduced risk of cancer. But when | | | | women." |
| you're lying in bed warm and comfortable and the | | | | There are any number of health problems that come |
| alarm goes off for your early morning workout it can | | | | as the result of a lack of sleep... |
| be hard to find the motivation to 'get up and go'. | | | | Glucose intolerance, imbalances of ghrelin and leptin |
| Now a new study examines how a lack of sleep | | | | (appetite regulators), increases in C-reactive proteins |
| might blunt the effectiveness of all that exercise in | | | | in the blood as well as other problems. |
| reducing your cancer risk. | | | | And of course during sleep our healing processes are |
| According to a ten year study of nearly 6,000 | | | | engaged allowing our bodies to recover better from |
| women led by James McClain, Ph.D., a cancer | | | | exercise. A good nights sleep also reduces the levels |
| prevention fellow at the National Cancer Institute, | | | | of stress hormones in the body, meaning that |
| people at the top half of the physical activity levels | | | | psychologically you are more able to face the day |
| had a 25% reduction in their cancer risk. | | | | and any exercise regime you may have planned. |
| But, if you were a woman from 18 to 65 years old | | | | Getting the right amount of sleep for you gives you |
| who got about an hour a day of moderate activity | | | | the energy you need to be more active and function |
| yet slept fewer than 7 hours a night, much of the | | | | at peak performance throughout the day. |
| exercise benefit was lost. | | | | If you find you're struggling to sleep, which many |
| Of course this group still had a reduced risk | | | | people do as they age be sure to practice good |
| compared to those women who exercised the least. | | | | sleep habits to ensure you get the rest you need. |
| The take away message is: be active, but get | | | | The study didn't make specific recommendations on |
| enough sleep or it won't do you as much good. | | | | how much exercise would be enough, but McClain |
| The novel research was presented last month during | | | | suggest using the government's physical activity |
| an international meeting in Washington D.C. on cancer | | | | guidelines as a starting point. They suggest getting at |
| prevention hosted by the American Association for | | | | least 5 hours of modest exercise, or 2½ hours |
| Cancer Research (AACR). | | | | of intense exercise per week. |
| The next step for researchers is to investigate the | | | | The good thing is that normal household chores slot |
| mechanisms underlying sleep and exercise to try and | | | | under the modest exercise banner, so you can count |
| understand the role of each in preventing cancer. | | | | that towards your total for the week. |
| "The important thing to remember here is that | | | | Many women understand the link between exercise |
| nobody was protected unless they were active," | | | | and breast cancer, and are starting to increase their |
| McClain says. "So I certainly don't think the | | | | levels of activity, but the link between sleep and |
| take-home message is to sacrifice activity to get | | | | cancer shines a new light on the need to also ensure |
| more sleep. But I think it needs to be more of a | | | | sufficient rest is taken each day as well. |