The Whole Day Matters – Sleep Well, Reduce Sedentary Time & Move More for Better Health!

Adequate physical activity, low sedentary time and sufficient sleep duration are each separately associated with better health among adults. Global changes related to modern living are disrupting the balance of movement behaviours (i.e., physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep) in daily life among individuals of all ages, to the detriment of health and well-being.

In 2020, Canada developed and released 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Adults aged 18-64 years and Adults aged 65 years or older 1 , that provide evidence-based recommendations for a healthy day, comprising benchmarks for physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep.

There is widespread evidence that healthy doses of physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep across the whole day, collectively referred to as movement behaviours, are essential for optimal health and well-being. (2,3) The impact of these behaviours on health and prevention, treatment, and management of chronic disease is clear. (4-9)

Unfortunately, a recent study showed that only 7.1% (less than 1 in 10) of Canadian adults aged 18-79 years were meeting all three of the recommendations within the 24-Hour Movement Guidelines. (10)

Further, disparities across sociodemographic factors exist. Findings have shown that numerous sociodemographic factors, including age, sex, race, household income, household education, obesity, smoking status, and presence of a chronic condition, are associated with meeting versus not meeting the guideline recommendations. (11)

Importantly, Canadian adults who meet the overall guidelines have more favourable body mass index (BMI); waist circumference; aerobic fitness scores; and triglyceride, insulin, C-reactive protein and serum glucose levels, when compared with those who do not meet them. (10)

It has also been shown that meeting the overall 24-Hour Movement Guidelines recommendations is associated with a reduced risk of all-cause mortality and may promote better psychological well-being. (12, 13)

Remember – integrating and finding a healthy balance of all movement behaviours across a 24-hour period is important for optimal health and functioning.

The 24-Hour Movement Guidelines provide specific targets for each movement behaviour, towards which Canadians can strive to achieve better health, and also establish measurable thresholds for monitoring and surveillance. The guideline recommendations are publicly available at: https://csepguidelines.ca

Visit https://www.goget.fit or download the free & easy-to-use GoGet.Fit app for strategies to help you initiate and maintain a healthy active lifestyle to feel better and be healthier. Healthy habits start here!

References:

1. Ross, R., Chaput, J. P., Giangregorio, L. M., Janssen, I., Saunders, T. J., Kho, M. E., ... & Tremblay, M. S. (2020). Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Adults aged 18–64 years and Adults aged 65 years or older: an integration of physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 45(10), S57-S102.

2. Janssen, I., Clarke, A. E., Carson, V., et al. (2020). A systematic review of compositional data analysis studies examining associations between sleep, sedentary behaviour, and physical activity with health outcomes in adults. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 45(10), S248-S257.

3. Rollo, S., Antsygina, O., Tremblay, M. S. (2020). The whole day matters: understanding 24-hour movement guideline adherence and relationships with health indicators across the lifespan. Journal of Sport and Health Science, 9(6), 493-510.

4. 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee. 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee Scientific Report. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2018.

5. Chaput, J. P., Dutil, C., Featherstone, R., Ross, R., Giangregorio, L., Saunders, T. J., ... & Carrier, J. (2020). Sleep duration and health in adults: an overview of systematic reviews. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 45(10), S218-S231.

6. Saunders, T. J., McIsaac, T., Douillette, K., Gaulton, N., Hunter, S., Rhodes, R. E., ... & Healy, G. N. (2020). Sedentary behaviour and health in adults: an overview of systematic reviews. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 45(10), S197-S217.

7. Patterson, R., McNamara, E., Tainio, M., de Sá, T. H., Smith, A. D., Sharp, S. J., ... & Wijndaele, K. (2018). Sedentary behaviour and risk of all-cause, cardiovascular and cancer mortality, and incident type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and dose response meta-analysis. European journal of epidemiology, 33(9), 811-829.

8. Yin, J., Jin, X., Shan, Z., Li, S., Huang, H., Li, P., ... & Liu, L. (2017). Relationship of sleep duration with all‐cause mortality and cardiovascular events: a systematic review and dose‐response meta‐analysis of prospective cohort studies. Journal of the American Heart Association, 6(9), e005947.

9. Lacombe, J., Armstrong, M. E. G., Wright, F.L., Foster, C. (2019). The impact of physical activity and an additional behavioural risk factor on cardiovascular disease, cancer and all-cause mortality: a systematic review. BMC Public Health, 19(1), 900.

10. Rollo, S., Lang, J. J., Roberts, K. C., Bang, F., Carson, V., Chaput, J. P., ... & Tremblay, M. S. (2022). Health associations with meeting the Canadian 24-hour movement guidelines for adults: Results from the Canadian Health Measures Survey. Health Reports, 33(1), 16-26.

11. Rollo, S., Roberts, K., Bang, F., Carson, V., Chaput, J. P., Colley, R., ... & Tremblay, M. (2022). Sociodemographic factors associated with meeting the Canadian 24-hour movement guidelines among adults: Findings from the Canadian Health Measures Survey. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 19(3), 194-202.

12. Clarke, A.E., Carson, V., Chaput, J.P., Colley, R.C., Roberts, K.C., Rollo, S., Tremblay, M.S., & Janssen, I. (2021). Meeting Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guideline recommendations and risk of all-cause mortality. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 46, 1487-1494.

13. Weatherson, K. A., Joopally, H., Wunderlich, K., et al. (2021). Post-secondary students’ adherence to the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Adults: results from the first deployment of the Canadian Campus Wellbeing Survey (CCWS). Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada: Research, Policy and Practice, 41(6), 173-81.