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Prolonged Sitting and Poor Sleep Can Work Together To Shorten Your Life (latimes.com)

Posted by Soulskill on from the so-stop-reading-and-go-to-bed dept.

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."

6 of 115 comments (clear)

  1. If this is true, I'm in trouble by Maow · · Score: 5, Funny

    I probably won't even make it to the end of this post.

    On the other han

  2. Great Timing by SydShamino · · Score: 5, Funny

    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.
  3. Also consider this... by Buchenskjoll · · Score: 5, Funny

    Mortality is higher among slashdot users with a low user id. Makes you think doesn't it?

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    -- Make America hate again!
    1. Re:Also consider this... by andrewbaldwin · · Score: 5, Funny

      And birthdays are good for you - the more you have the longer you live

  4. Re:Life sucks anyway by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    If you're an American worker slaving away in a cubicle to make rich assholes even richer, life sucks anyway. Why prolong it?

    Those rich assholes sit in their office all day long and never get up except for lunch and they sleep in every day because they are the boss.. I think we are about to learn an important lesson here... in 4... 3....2....1.... Promotion!

  5. Some obvious workarounds... by tlambert · · Score: 5, Funny

    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!