Study: Exercise lowers risk of depression and sleep problems in older smokers

(Press-News.org) Getting enough weekly exercise may help smokers over 40 reduce depression and sleep issues to levels seen in non-smokers, according to a study from the Texas A&M University School of Public Health.

The study showed that smokers had higher rates of moderate to severe depressive symptoms and sleep disorders than non-smokers. Notably, smokers aged 40 to 59 who did not meet physical activity guidelines were especially likely to report moderate to severe depressive symptoms and sleep disorders.

Smokers aged 60 and older were more likely to experience sleep disorders.  However, engaging in the recommended level of regular physical activity lowered these risks to levels comparable to non-smokers.

Current physical activity guidelines for Americans recommend adults get about 300 minutes of moderate activity or 150 minutes of vigorous activity per week, or an equivalent mix of both.

For the study, published in Health Education & Behavior, the team analyzed how physical activity might protect against sleep disorders and depressive symptoms among adults in the United States, depending on their smoking status.

“Each of these has interconnected physiological and psychological pathways that potentially could affect the others,” said Taehyun Roh, an assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics who supervised the study. “For example, the neurochemical changes that smoking produces can make depressive symptoms worse, which in turn could reduce quality of sleep, while physical activity can improve these conditions.”

Smoking is associated with diseases such as lung cancer and obstructive pulmonary disease and is the most common preventable cause of mortality worldwide. Nearly one in five adults in the United States is a smoker.

In addition, about one in three adults in the United States experiences sleep disorders (such as insomnia and sleep apnea), and about one in 12 has depressive symptoms (such as sadness and reduced interest in activities), both of which also are linked to poor health outcomes.

Roh, along with Texas A&M’s Jeong-Hui Park, Tyler Prochnow, and a colleague from Korea’s Kyung Hee University, used data on 3,008 adults from the 2017 to 2020 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The nationally representative survey, conducted annually by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, evaluates the health and nutritional status of people in the United States.

Interestingly, smokers aged 20 to 39 who met physical activity guidelines remained more likely to struggle with sleep disorders than non-smokers.

“This might be because exercise alone is not sufficient to compensate for the health risks of heavy smoking, because the nature and timing of exercise play a role, or because of some other factor,” Jeong-Hui Park said.

The bottom line: Physical activity is important for better health — and reducing smoking is, too.

By Ann Kellett, Texas A&M University School of Public Health

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