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| EDITORIAL |
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| Year : 2022 | Volume
: 6
| Issue : 3 | Page : 99-100 |
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Sleep, exercise, stress, COVID-19, and human health
Lin Lu
Peking University Sixth Hospital, Peking University Institute of Mental Health, NHC Key Laboratory of Mental Health (Peking University), National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital), Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit, Peking University, Beijing, China
| Date of Submission | 21-Sep-2022 |
| Date of Acceptance | 26-Sep-2022 |
| Date of Web Publication | 30-Sep-2022 |
Correspondence Address:
Prof. Lin Lu
Peking University Sixth Hospital, Peking University Institute of Mental Health, NHC Key Laboratory of Mental Health (Peking University), National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital), Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit, Peking University, Beijing
China
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/hm.hm_40_22
How to cite this article:
Lu L. Sleep, exercise, stress, COVID-19, and human health. Heart Mind 2022;6:99-100 |
To our recent knowledge, there are so many various factors affecting human health. Among them, anyone can pick some particular factors which seem more related to themselves. Being a doctor specializing in psychiatry and also the guest editor of this issue, I choose “sleep, exercise, stress, as well as COVID-19” be my guests this time.
| For Sleep, We Have Two Articles in this Issue | |  |
Oliver R. Sum-Ping et al. contributed their work on “Impact of Sleep on Cardiovascular Health: A Narrative Review.” In this review, they provide an updated summary of the literature connecting sleep and cardiovascular disease. They concluded that much of the research in the field has focused on sleep–disordered breathing, particularly obstructive sleep apnea. However, other sleep pathologies, including hypersomnolence disorders, sleep–related movement disorders, and parasomnia disorders, have been linked with cardiovascular health.
Hidetaka Hamasaki's study, entitled “Differences in Muscle Strength, Physical Activity, and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors between Type 2 Diabetic Patients with and without Benzodiazepines (BZD) or Antipsychotic Medications,” investigated the influence of BZD, antipsychotic medications (APD) in type 2 diabetic patients in terms of muscle strength, physical activity, and cardiovascular risk factors. In the study, medical data of 196 patients with (out) BZD and 85 patients with (out) APD are assessed, including handgrip strength, physical activity, and cardiometabolic risk factors such as blood pressure, lipid profile, and glycemic control. The study found that BZD and APD were both associated with decreased muscle strength and daily physical activity, while APD could impair lipid metabolism. Therefore, the author suggests carefully prescribing these two medications for diabetics with a high risk of cardiovascular disease.
| For Exercise, Three Teams Contributed their Work | | |
Kyriakos Dimitriadis et al. provided a review entitled “A Narrative Review on Exercise and Cardiovascular Events: 'Primum Non Nocere',” highlighting the awareness of rare adverse outcomes of exercise. They discussed exercise-related cardiovascular events and suggested that physiological changes driven by exercise may trigger major cardiovascular diseases, including ventricular arrhythmias, myocardial infarction, or even sudden cardiac arrest. Given that, they recommend personal cardiac screening before sports and exercise.
Łukasz A. Małek et al.'s study, entitled “Cardiac Remodeling in Female Athletes with Relation to Sport Discipline and Exercise Dose – A Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Study,” compared chronic cardiac adaptations to exercise at various intensities and in different sports categories of female athletes. They investigated 30 elite female athletes (members of the National Team), 14 amateur female athletes training 3–6 hours per week for several years, and 20 inactive female controls who underwent cardiac magnetic resonance. The study demonstrated that the hearts of female athletes differed from inactive controls. There was no difference in the heart chamber size and left ventricular muscle thickness between studied athletes engaging in power and endurance disciplines. Moreover, there were also no significant myocardial tissue changes observed in both elite and amateur female athletes.
A review entitled “Exercise, Advanced Glycation End Products, and Their Effects on Cardiovascular Disorders: A Narrative Review” is provided by Saeedeh Hosseini Hooshiar et al. They first summarized the main mechanisms of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) affecting the development and prognosis of cardiovascular dysfunction. Next, they discussed possible explanations for the relationship between AGEs and exercise, including exercise's effectiveness in preventing the accumulation of AGEs, and even reducing AGE levels through an improvement in insulin sensitivity, a reduction of fat mass, etc., In conclusion, regular exercise is associated with the deconcentration of AGEs, playing an important role in preventing cardiovascular disease.
| For Stress | | |
A group of Chinese experts in cardiology and psychiatry proposed a consensus entitled “Expert Consensus on Diagnosis and Treatment of Adult Mental Stress Induced Hypertension in China (2022 Revision): Part B.” This part is the continuation and end of the first part, which contains the contents of treatment recommendations and prospects. This consensus will help clinicians to identify and diagnose patients with mental stress-induced hypertension and control their blood pressure, and reduce their cardiovascular risk.
| For COVID-19, there are Two Articles on the Topic | | |
COVID-19 has spread worldwide for 3 years. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) was considered important by Chinese health authorities in the fight against COVID-19. Bao et al. issued a review that systematically analyzed and evaluated the safety and efficacy of TCM combined with Western Medicine for the treatment of COVID-19 and provided summary evidence for clinicians when using TCM.
Md Abu Bakar Siddiq et al. contributed the article entitled “COVID-19, long COVID, and psychosomatic manifestations: A possible burden on existing rheumatology facilities.” This perspective addressed how psychosomatic manifestations of COVID-19 and “long COVID” burden the present rheumatology facility. The authors further explored the treatment options of “long COVID” and future research direction regarding its pathophysiology and “long COVID” psychosomatic illness, especially in the setting of chronic rheumatic diseases.
| What's More, I Have an Interesting Book to Recommend | | |
”Heart Disease: It Is All in Your Head and what to do about it” is written by Jay Mehta. This book indicated that stress, emotions, depression, and social interactions affect not only just one's mind but the heart. Stressors associated with heart disease are incredibly broad, including deterioration of the family structure, poor diet, earthquakes, pollution, financial disasters, wars, and COVID-19. Through the book, the author provided a one-stop shopping about heart disease in a slim, readable format, a real tour de force.
All in all, in this issue, authors from institutions all over the world contributed excellent articles for publication. I want to express my great gratitude to them and hope the issue will bring some inspiration to the Heart and Mind readers.
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