Slashdot Mirror
Prolonged Sitting and Poor Sleep Can Work Together To Shorten Your Life (latimes.com)
schwit1 sends word that a new study published in PLOS Medicine has examined how lifestyle risk factors can affect mortality rates, both alone and in combination with each other. Having a single major risk factor increased mortality rates slightly, but the study found that those who report multiple risk factors are significantly more likely to die early. While this includes obvious behavior like smoking and alcohol consumption, the findings also suggest prolonged sitting and unhealthy sleep patterns can strongly increase mortality rates when combined with each other, or with the obvious behaviors. "Some combinations were more deadly than others, the researchers found. Those who blended insufficient exercise with prolonged sitting were 2.42 times more likely to die during the study, and those who were also guilty of sleeping for too many hours were 4.23 times more likely die by the time the study ended. 'These findings suggest there is a "synergistic effect" among risk factors,' the study authors wrote."
Not too many, too few hours. Goddamn, one thing is when /. readers don't look at TFA, but goddamn editors not giving a shit is another thing altogether.
You can't handle the truth.
I'm sick and tired of people telling me not to get sick and tired!
Table-ized A.I.
The medical profession has a problem understanding the difference between correlation and causation, and this is just one example of it.
Sent from my ASR33 using ASCII
We say that excessive sitting is unhealthy. However, modern lifestyles encourage excessive sitting, despite its dangers. Some say it's as bad as smoking. However, we spend eight or nine hours each weekday at work, and the high paying jobs tend to involve lots of sitting. We also spend lots of time in commute, perhaps 30-45 minutes each way, sitting in a car stuck in traffic. It's really easy to spend ten or more hours per day sitting. While I understand that sustaining our modern way of life requires more use of our minds and less manual labor, this is definitely unhealthy. In many ways, the 40 hour work week is becoming a dinosaur as people are expected to work beyond that in many jobs. More isn't always better, and it probably isn't good for overall productivity. But that's the direction we're going, and creating a generation that's probably more unhealthy than people who smoked, were around asbestos and lead, and didn't have access to the modern health care we enjoy. And we wonder why we're fatter than ever, eating unhealthy and getting unhealthy amounts of sleep, and why we're going to life shorter lives on average than the last generation. It's our lifestyle, and it's killing us. But that's what is required of us now.
I probably won't even make it to the end of this post.
On the other han
Keep them sleep deprived and standing. It's for their own good.
Baloney.
I love that a story about how poor sleep habits and sitting too long can kill you was posted at 2:15 AM. Those of us sitting around unable to sleep now have our apparently imminent mortality to think about, too.
It doesn't hurt to be nice.
In true Slashdot style, I didn't actually RTFA. But these kinds of studies make me wonder whether things like sitting and sleeping too much are really what's causing the increased mortality. Or whether they're proxies that only correlate with the actual causes of increased mortality.
For example, an underlying medical condition could easily result in sleeping more than is typical. In fact, people who are so sick that they are hospitalized typically sleep a lot and have trouble even getting out of bed. Some are even in borderline comas (e.g. from the high levels of pain killers, etc. that they're being given).
And if you're sitting a lot then you're probably in a high stress job - and there's a good chance you're even in a situation where you don't feel like you have a lot of control over your life and aren't feeling that life is fun and that you want to take care of yourself so you live as long as possible.
University finals week[s] here. Can confirm, feel like I'm going to die soon if I have to keep this up another week.
If living underground and never getting any sunlight are detrimental too I'd be surprised if I make it to the end of the;lksdgne poigjuofdjs;l;dlkmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
Mortality is higher among slashdot users with a low user id. Makes you think doesn't it?
-- Make America hate again!
zombie see zombie do... no changes.. not so long life of exhaustion & disappointment,, wmd on credit genocides are like that? starvation, deception & violence obsoletely fatal concoction for physical & spiritual bankruptcy... meanwhile truth + mercy = justice universal spiritual axioms wake us up in the moms we trust
The survey seems to be sound in terms of methodology, sample size and tracking period. Like any statistical survey the findings might point to correlated variables that are main causes, but some variables are more difficult to ascertain what is behind them.
Lack or too much sleep might be result of hormonal or metabolic problems, also the result of breathing issues due to congenital defects or too much height.
So, although some variable aren't perfect they can me measured and tracked, while deeper and more granular issues are difficult to categorize and measure.
Cause the researchers are trying to triage main indicators of well-being and study their aftermath, so afterwards more research can be done on the causes of preventable death.
And for most part, the results are pretty much common sense. Smoking is bad, period. Heavy drinking kills your liver cells, depletes your vitamin B complex reserves, and dehydrates the body.
Chronic lack of sleep causes changes on the metabolism, increases stress response feedback, and increases the probability of an accident.
Sitting down for long periods might cause hemorrhoids and muscular atrophy, it also doesn't do much good to your bowels.
Everything put together, regardless of the network of causality that made it happen, will not have a good effect on your general health.
If you're an American worker slaving away in a cubicle to make rich assholes even richer, life sucks anyway. Why prolong it?
Of all participants, 31.2%, 36.9%, 21.4%, and 10.6% reported 0, 1, 2, and 3+ risk factors, respectively. There was a strong relationship between the lifestyle risk index score and all-cause mortality.
31.2+36.9+21.4+10.6= everyone and 1% extras. Did significant significance creep in?
Out of all 96 possible risk combinations, the 30 most commonly occurring combinations accounted for more than 90% of the participants.
Each of 7 factors can be one of two states. That is 2^7 except that two of the conditions are "too much" or "too little" sleep which means a those state can be reduced to one. 2^6 isn't 96 as far as I know.
Because I can't wait for this shit to be over.
--typed at 3:11am
Some obvious workarounds...
"2.42 times more likely to die during the study"
These people can avoid dying during the study by not participating in the study.
"4.23 times more likely die by the time the study ended"
These people could be saved by continuing the study indefinitely.
Problems solved!
The new study, sponsored by SteelCase, manufacturer of standing desk solutions for business...
I'm really going to miss those years between 75 and 80. I mean, we're talking quality of life there.
Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
"Having a single major risk factor increased mortality rates slightly, but the study found that those who report multiple risk factors are significantly more likely to die early."
Wow, how insightful.
In other news, scientists found that being shot in the chest once increased mortality rates slightly, but those who are shot in the chest multiple times "are significantly more likely to die early."
Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
Don't worry. Your employer will find another you at the first sign of any health problems.
The Russians have won. They have made the world a cesspool of distrust, greed, fear and hate.
.....I'm royally fucked. 12-15hr shifts mostly sat on my arse driving or waiting, 6hrs a day of broken sleep and to top it off I work nights as well. Already got a fucked back and am overweight, both of which are very common in the job. On the bright side at least I'll be dead long before my medical care gets really expensive.
I only please one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow isn't looking good either. - Scott Adams
My job will finally kill me! Great news! Now if we could only accelerate this process...
The study looks like only a six-year period.
Kinda like saying a three-day study shows people who play Russian Roulette are more likely to die than those who don't
If they repeat the study with an 80-year period, I bet it won't be so conclusive.
Those who blended insufficient exercise with prolonged sitting were 2.42 times more likely to die during the study, and those who were also guilty of sleeping for too many hours were 4.23 times more likely die by the time the study ended.
Sounds like participating in the study was pretty risky behavior as well.
Here I am sitting at my 9-5 desk sit-down desk job, running on about 4 hours of sleep... RIP
Bullsh*t, just like every other statistic. There is no way to prove a cause and effect.
As Mark Twain popularized, "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics."
So that's what those places look like. I could not help but think of rowers that powered Roman Empire naval vessels the way these people are lined up in rows and columns. Battle speed!
mfwright@batnet.com
12 to 15 hours.. are you long haul?
No worries, the self driving trucks will take your job in a few years and you'll quickly lose that chubby belly of yours and have plenty of time to catch up on your sleep!
I bet if we all laid completely still in hermetically sealed boxes, breathing pure oxygen, being fed and evacuated through tubes, we'd all live way longer.
But what fucking fun would that be eh?
Live fast, die young and leave behind whatever the fuck you are left with for a corpse. I don't give a rat's ass what my corpse will look like. I'll be dead.
Just got this, hope I don't die before this January's presentation:
Sleep and Performance Sleep is an integral part of life that is often bartered in exchange for spending more time on all other aspects of life. However, studies have shown that inadequate sleep actually has a negative impact on both health and performance. Understanding the physiologic drive for sleep, the effects of fatigue, and how to optimize sleep will provide the participants with strategies to boost performance and reduce fatigue-related accidents.
Learning Objectives:
Learn why sleep is important and how it impacts health and performance
Understand the underlying components of fatigue
Recognize techniques to prioritize sleep and mitigate risks
Agenda:
Welcome
Sleep and Performance
Why Sleep is Important
Health Benefits of Adequate Sleep
Performance Benefits of Adequate Sleep
Productivity
Fatigue
Sleep Tips
Summary
Seminar Length: 1 Hour
I hope you can take advantage of this opportunity.
mfwright@batnet.com
In the words of Chris rock. You are going to die, fuck it!