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."

Comments

Correlation != causation

[Anne Thwacks]

In all probability, people sleeping far too little or far too much are probably already sick. Similarly, people who spend a lot of time sitting may well do so because they have limited ability to exercise due to other health problems.

The medical profession has a problem understanding the difference between correlation and causation, and this is just one example of it.

Re:Correlation != causation

[jandersen]

By the same token, you don't get fat by eating too much - you eat too much because being fat makes you do it, right? It is correct that correlation is not proof of causation; but it narrows the choices down - correlation means things are connected, one way or the other. Either one causes the other, or they share a root cause. Which one you decide to go with is up to your own judgement - considering what we already know about things like the harmful effects of stress and the benefits of exercise, I would say it is more plausible that avoiding sitting down is better for your health, and that getting a good night's sleep is essential in avoiding stress - the reason for the latter being that if you feel tired due to lack of sleep, you are less able to cope with problems (which makes you feel stressed out) and you try to compensate by eating energy rich food (=too many calories, especially sugar) and drinking beverages with caffeine, which tend to ruin your sleep.

Could there be causation in the opposite direction? No doubt - but I think it mostly goes the other way.

Re:Correlation != causation

[Anonymous Coward]

Please shut the fuck up. Jesus, it's like you asshole only get up in the morning to tell everyone else how they are wrong about everything ever. And you trot out the "correlation is not causation" bullshit like it's the holy fucking Bible. You're bad as those douchebags that trot out "PJ AT GROKLAW!!!" every time a court is mentioned. You're like,"Hey! Pay attention to me! I am a fucking twat on the Internet and I have my own nerd lawyer!!! Pay attention to me!" Seriously. Just shut the fuck up.

Re:Sleeping too FEW hours

[ShanghaiBill]

No, RTFA, too much sleep (more than nine hours) is seen as unhealthy too.

Or maybe sick people sleep a lot. It is likely the causation is the other way around. While TFA is quick to say that the sleeping causes the deaths, the study itself only says they are "associated".