MIND+HEALTH
Obsessing on the metrics could make you a slower marathoner
COULD TRACKING YOUR SHUT-EYE SLOW YOU DOWN? Potentially, according to the first study* of its kind that looked at the sleep practices and marathon finish times of 943 London Marathon runners. The study found that orthosomnia – defined as an excessive concern about tracking your sleep metrics – could actually make you slower. And while a lot of smartwatches boast about their capabilities to measure the quality of your sleep cycles, the researchers found a ‘deleterious influence of sleep trackers’ on the sleep health of participants.
In fact, 23.5% reported difficulties. Younger runners took longer to fall asleep (‘sleep onset latency’, aka SOL), with the main culprit being smartphone use an hour before bed. ‘Increasing weekly frequency of electronic device use and longer SOL emerged as predictors of worse marathon completion time,’ researchers said. So, if you’re serious about your marathon ambitions, stop stressing and put your phone away at night.
50 High aerobic fitness can reduce flu deaths by 50%*.
Outrunning breast cancer
A new study in the British Journal Of Sports Medicine made a link between high levels of fitness and a lower risk of developing breast cancer. Women with good cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) have a 24% lower chance of developing this type of cancer. It’s an empowering discovery as several known cancer risk factors, such as family history,
