December 02, 2008

Exercise or Sleep? Which is more important?



You know how sometimes while you're sleeping you'll dream about food? I always assumed that meant I was hungry and my body was trying to point this out to my dreaming mind. Fair enough, but this morning I dreamt that I was sleeping. (I mean, I had a dream where in the middle of the day I took a pillow and blanket and sacked out in the printer room, since I was very, very sleepy.) How on earth can I be dreaming about sleeping while I'm sleeping?

Exercise or Sleep? Which is more important?


Everybody knows that you really need both exercise and sleep. In an ideal world there would always be time for both. But frequently you have to choose. If it's the end of a long day, you're dead tired and you haven't had your daily exercise yet, what do you do?

A study that came out recently suggests which one you should choose: exercise or sleep.


Or not.
You never know with scientific studies.
Nevertheless, this one warrants a glance.

A study by the National Cancer Institute found that exercising can reduce a woman's risk of cancer by as much as 20 percent. Researchers did not find the exact link between cancer risk and physical activity, but believe it might lie in the fact that exercise affects hormone levels, immune function and body weight.

****
However, researchers found that exercise can't help
if a woman does not get a good night's sleep.

****

Their conclusions:

Exercise and more than 7 hours of sleep
Exercise and 7+ hours of sleep = the lowest risk of getting cancer
Exercise and less than 7 hours of sleep
Exercise + 7 or less hours of sleep = much greater risk
Neither exercise nor 7+ hours of sleep
Neither exercise nor 7+ hours of sleep = look, the answer will just depress you and besides you can already figure it out. Go smoke a cigarette, 'k?

All right, all right, I know, I'm being mean/bitchy. If I keep this up, Crabby'll change my name to UnMerry, the Queen of Mean. I cranky because I'm so tired. I figure that if you have to choose between exercise and sleep, choose sleep. If you go to bed and find that you can't get to sleep, tired as you are, then get up and try something. Maybe kickboxing, if you're tired and cranky.

All I know is, tonight I'm going to sleep. Or else.


Photo credit: Mayr


51 comments:

  1. Interesting finding! I cherish my sleep. Without 8 hrs, I'm seriously NO GOOD! To my husband, that's just ludicrous, but, my body wants what it wants!

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  2. sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.

    not that I have an opinion on the matter!

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  3. Hmmm... choosing between exercise or sleep is like choosing between a big box of Cheez-Its or brussel sprouts.

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  4. Must have my sleep, no question. I aim to fit in enough of both, of course, but if I'm exhausted and something's gotta give...I'll skip the exercise in favor of sleep.

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  5. My logic is that if I'm that tired any exercise I try is not going to do me any good because I'll be doing it half-assed so definitely choosing sleep in that scenario.

    Does anyone really exercise right before bed anyway? Doesn't that just keep you awake? I prefer early morning to kickstart my day or when I get home from work to ward off the I-need-a-nap-cause-I-feel-like-I've-been-running-all-day-though-I'm-on-my-butt-all-day feeling.

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  6. When I started getting my exercise out of the way in the morning, it became a lot easier! I did try closing my eyes occasionally on an early morning run, but, couldn't fall asleep :-)

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  7. Definitely sleeeeeep!! need more sleep! I try to get up and do some sort of exercise in the a.m., but it's so hard to get out of a warm bed, especially with two warm kitties cuddling with you. *sigh*

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  8. If only I could choose sleep! You can, within the limits of time and physical limitations, choose to exercise or not. Sleep either happens or not. Lying down and closing your eyes is no guarantee.

    Mary Anne, sleep-deprived in Kentucky

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  9. I like morning exercise best too, but if I have an early start at work sometimes I have to work out in the evenings. I find having a small snack before I go helps my energy levels.

    I very rarely skip workouts because I'm tired, and it's inevitably a bad workout and I'm falling over by the time I finish - I need to learn to have breaks! Much better for mind and body.

    TA x

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  10. Two things: 1) You have a printer room??? 2) You got your greater than and less than (makes an L!) signs backwards. Can't help it - it's the math teacher in me!!

    As for sleep vs. exercise, my fave thing is how all the magazine articles tell you to sacrifice neither. Because we all live in an ideal world. For me, sleep usually gets the short shrift. Ah well.

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  11. I choose both exercise and sleep though after the cancer diagnosis, I started to exercise much more than I had been previously.
    I kinda like that name UnMerry. It's more cranky.

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  12. Great post. Just a quick thingie though > means greater than and < means less than. (sorry, I'm ocd about stuff like that)

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  13. Hi Cranky, nice new site - very swish! (i haven't been here in a while)... found something you might like: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ejrVzCcwXcU

    One of many i know - but i thought it was very well done :)

    P

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  14. Sleep-deprived women = Work > Sleep

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  15. Dreaming of sleeping while asleep, do you think about extra exercise while working out too?

    When it comes to the dreaming part, I find myself day dreaming at work about getting some sleep. I don't think I ever day dreamed about a workout.

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  16. Ooooh - that's like the chicken-and-egg-which-came-first conundrum. I never feel that I get enough of either, but probably get less sleep hours per night than I get of exercise per day. I rarely recall dreams, but that's nothing new since episodes of senior moments has tripled in the last two or three years! I'd say sleep is probably tops with this bod! But...

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  17. You know, even two years ago, I would have said exercise, hands-down... and then I got older, or something, because gradually I began to value and cherish sleep more and more until suddenly last week I realised that I, the chronic insomniac who never napped even as a small child, find myself sitting at my desk in the early afternoon wondering if anyone would notice if I napped for a few minutes, or getting home and just taking a rest before making dinner, or (heh) getting ready for bed. On the other hand, now that I am typing this out, I am finding it disturbing and thinking maybe I should go to the doctor, as that can't be right, can it?

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  18. Did the study give the results for no exercise + less than 7 hrs sleep + watching reality TV? I believe there is a correlation between that and brain tumors. That's my working hypothesis anyway.

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  19. I know that as people get older, they tend to sleep less and report insomnia more. Might as well sleep while you can :)

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  20. Sleep, definitely. That's why I can't bring myself to get up an hour early to exercise. But then, I have more than normal motivation to go to the gym since I'm paid to teach class there. So there are times I REALLY don't want to teach because I'm tired and unmotivated, but I have to. So I do, and I feel better. And my schedule at this point in my life is thankfully such that I don't really have to choose between exercise and sleep - I exercise after work and then go home to relax, eat dinner, and try to get at least 7. I'm hopeful I can keep that up...

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  21. I'm terrible at getting enough sleep. But since boot camp is over Ive been getting more! And it feels good.

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  22. I guess you could try sleepwalking and get both accomplished at once?

    (Actually, sleepwalking sounds really scary to me, I'm glad I don't suffer from it.)

    Interesting study. I'm lucky in that I don't have to choose, but if I did, I'd definitely make sure sleep was fully covered. I do NOT do well when deprived.

    Loved Charlie's comments about the Brussel sprouts vs Cheez-Its.

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  23. When I told my doc I was getting up early to exercise, she told me I'd be better of sleeping. I'm working on sleeping more and have figured out how to get my exercise in later. Still not up to 7 hours, but doing better than the 4-5 I have done for years (certainly since motherhood).

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  24. Bossy always dreams she is napping. And sometimes she dreams she is running, but when she wakes up she realizes it was only a palpitating heart.

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  25. I currently battle the sleep vs exercise problem.
    I like both...but there's no duvet on my cardio machine...

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  26. I get INsomnia frequently and it sucks. For a while we thought it was because I was exercising too much, but exercising less didn't help. Now I just go until I cant go anymore and then I nap.

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  27. I usually run low on sleep during the week and play catch-up on the weekend. I really don't see how to do it any other way. I already don't watch TV, don't watch movies, and don't go out.

    I could quit my job, quit exercising, quit cooking healthy meals from scratch, quit cleaning the house, and/or quit writing, but none of these are acceptable and there are only so many hours in a day. And what would be the health risk tradeoff if I started eating chemical-laden processed foods so I could sleep a little longer? What would be the toll on my mental state (and cortisol levels) without the nightly escape of my fiction writing? Somehow, I doubt I'd come out ahead.

    The more studies I see, the more skeptical I become, quite frankly. It's a historical fact that not everyone's sleep requirements are the same. It's a genetic fact that we're all wired for different risk of developing certain diseases.

    There are so many things that increase disease risk: diet, heredity, environmental pollutants, genetic predisposition, and even dental hygiene and ambient light in one's bedroom at night. Find me a study that controls for all those factors, and maybe I'll bite my nails over the outcome. Until then, I'll merely take it under advisement.

    Yeah, I know I need to sleep more on weeknights, but with so many other things that tweak my cancer risk up or down, I'm not going to sweat this one.

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  28. LOL. And THAT'S why I slept in this morning. ;)

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  29. I'm certain that eventually someone will invent something that will exercise you while you sleep. But until then, I try to valance them out. I have to have 7 hours of sleep most nights, but am okay with 6 a couple of days a week when I do my early morning workouts. And on weekends? I get my 8 hours (although can no longer champion sleep-in....I'm pretty much awake by 8, no matter what).

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  30. Sleep trumps exercise for me. Back when I started a new exercise "program" I'd get up at 5AM on 6-hrs sleep, and literally yawn AND exercise through the entire 1 hour. I don't know why I didn't just fall over on the floor and begin snoring. I think that episode lasted 3 weeks and then I couldn't take it any more.

    Back when I was younger (30) I would go to the gym after dinner, say 8PM and work out until 10PM, then be wide awake until 1AM to wake at 5AM to cath a 6:05AM train to work. No wonder I was sooo tired by Friday afternoon.

    Better to listen to your body and get a "feel good" amount of sleep and then fit in exercise before work. I think I finally got it right.

    BTW -- Brussels sprouts over Cheese-its any day.

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  31. A study that confirms what I've unfortunately found through first hand experience. Very interesting.

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  32. As important as exercise is, you'll ultimately do more harm than good for your health if you fail to get enough sleep.

    The hormone cortisol plays a big role in this, as a lack of sleep leads to a greater release, thus increasing your chances of catabolizing muscle and boosting your risk of illness.

    Just my two cents ;)

    --Jennifer Brown

    I Look Like FIT
    http://www.ilooklikefit.com

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  33. sleep for sure! Exercise is so important, but without a good night's sleep,your body suffers and no amount of exercise could replace what the lack of sleep did ;).............in my opinion

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  34. I will choose sleep over exercise...cause I just won't be able to perform at all!

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  35. Thanks for posting the stats from the national cancer institute. I haven't seen that before but I do agree. I've also heard it said that good, deep, restful sleep can be the best weight loss drug...

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  36. Hmm, interesting! I'm definitely going to try to maintain that balance, however, I'd like to point out that, at least for me, getting enough exercise helps me sleep better, so I don't think I'll be giving up my exercise for an extra hour of zzz's anytime soon!

    -Meg

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  37. I vote sleep! Excercise can be made up over time, but sleep loss is a short term deal.

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  38. Never mind only cancer...There have been some great studies done by the National Sleep institute that show that normal healthy students who didn't get enough quality sleep after only a few days became pre-diabetic and were hungrier because insufficient sleep upsets leptin which plays a role in appetite suppression. In fact, Dr. Eve Caulter calls Sleep deprivation 'The Royal Route to Obesity.'

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  39. Well I guess, sleep is much more important compared to exercise.

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  40. I would prefer to be fat and feel good, than tired and a Clavin Klein model.

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  41. "Tonight I'm going to sleep or else" LOL LOL

    Great post!

    I completely think sleep is more important - WOW - if I don't get 8 hours you could call me crabby! I wish I required less, but that's just not the hand I was dealt.

    Anyway - very interesting - thanks for sharing.

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  42. I used to exercise. Long, long ago. I also used to feel rested after I slept. I don't remember when that last happened. People try to tell me that if I exercise more I'll sleep better, but I consistently lack the energy to test that theory. Sleep always wins.

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  43. For me, both. Exercise and sleep is important. Great post! Very helpful. :D

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  44. That's worth a ponder. I'll get back to you when I wake up.

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  45. I think that both, exercise and sleep are important. And I have read in numerous books that physical activity helps you sleep better. Just don't exercise an hour before bed!

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  46. That is an interesting post. I feel like one needs the other. You don't feel like exercising without getting an adequate amount of sleep and you may have difficulty sleeping when you don't get any physical activity.

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  47. Oh how many times have I have been so tired and contemplated going home for a nap instead of exercising... glad to know I'm not the only one that constantly has this dilemma!

    I'd take sleep anyday, but I also feel that if I was always choosing sleep over exercise I'd never workout!

    I think this post is inspiring me to find a pillow and a corner and catch some Z's!

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  48. I am currently pondering between exercise and sleep, which i googled for it and reached your site :)

    i might not get any response.. but the gym is near my workplace. and if i were to go back home get some sleep and goes back to the gym, the gym might be closed... And sadly i also know that if i hit the sack, i might not get up again for a workout... this is hmm.. irritating.. or should i just bear with it.. and hit the gym?

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  49. If I have to choose between exercise and sleep, I choose sleep. Then I try to figure out how my schedule got messed up to that extent, and change it so I can both exercise /and/ sleep.
    My two cents' worth.

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  50. Someone above asked "there are people who exercise before bedtime?" Yes there are. I used to and no, it didn't keep me up. I'd usually be so tired after my workout that I slept like a baby! In fact, I've read columns where they say if you can't sleep, get up and exercise.

    However, I can't seem to make myself workout in the evenings anymore...I just want to unwind from the day. So I end up getting up EXCRUTIATINGLY early in order to exercise. Sometimes I'm just too darn tired and I say...forget it. (Which is what brought me to this article.) So I was wondering, if my body is saying "forget it" is it really ok to listen to it and choose more sleep over the exercise?

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  51. I like morning exercise best too, but if I have an early start at work sometimes I have to work out in the evenings. I find having a small snack before I go helps my energy levels.

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