Dr. Logan Pendergrst explores the scientific link between regular physical activity and improved health outcomes for those working unconventional hours. He explains how exercise can be as effective as some medications in managing blood sugar and reducing anxiety symptoms by up to 30%. Viewers will learn how consistent movement strengthens the cardiovascular system, leading to more energy during shifts and a 15% improvement in sleep efficiency. Additionally, the segment covers how exercise helps synchronize the body’s internal clock, ultimately protecting you from musculoskeletal injuries and physical strain on the job.
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So first we may ask why start
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exercising? Well, exercise helps us to
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prevent and reduce our risk of chronic
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disease and even improve chronic
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diseases that we do have. Now chronic
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diseases could include heart disease or
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diabetes. And an example in the
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scientific research of exercise helping
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um a chronic condition is this that we
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see here on the second bullet down where
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individuals with type 2 diabetes who
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engage in consistent exercise see a 7 to
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1% reduction in a marker called HBA1C
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which is the marker that they use to
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diagnose diabetes. And this reduction in
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HBA1C is similar to the effects that we
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see with pharmaceutical interventions.
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And what this really shows is that
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exercise can serve to help you as much
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as medicine does. Additionally, exercise
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helps us to have more energy and less
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pain during our shifts. Much of this is
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because we get benefits to our heart and
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to our cardiovascular system. It allows
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us to complete tasks more effectively.
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Exercise helps us also with our sleep
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quality, which we'll talk about in the
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next few slides. And it helps us to
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improve our mood and our mental health
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mainly through reducing our feelings of
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stress and anxiety. And we see this also
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play out in the scientific research
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where we see that regular exercise helps
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to reduce symptoms of anxiety by 20 to
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30% in shift workers.
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So continuing with this and thinking of
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shift workers in particular, we see in
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the science that exercise helps to
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improve sleep quality and sleep
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efficiency in shift workers. And this
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improvement is about 15%. Which is
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pretty marketked. Additionally, we see
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that exercise does help to reduce
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injuries and physical strain during
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shifts as well as to reduce the reliance
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on stimulants such as caffeine to help
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us maintain our alertness. And we can
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see in the research that regular
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exercise helps to reduce workplace
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muscularkeeletal injury by 20 or by 30
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to 40%. And what this shows is that
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exercise is not just helping us reduce
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our risk of disease and feel better.
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It's also reducing our risk of getting
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hurt at work. And then lastly, exercise
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helps our body's clock to coordinate our
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activities. So for instance, if we're
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engaging in exercise consistently, then
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our body begins to know when to prepare
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for movement. And as a result, our
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general function is better for our
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muscularkeeletal system and our
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cardiovascular system.
