By Bente Klarlund Pedersen — 2020
Studies point to a role for physical activity in fighting malignancies, improving treatment outcomes, and fostering overall health in patients.
Read on www.the-scientist.com
CLEAR ALL
Not getting enough sleep may put some people at risk for much more than being drowsy the next day, a new study says.
People with cancer sometimes have an increased risk for sleep problems because of treatment effects and other factors. It's important to know why sleep problems can happen, what can be done to help manage them, and when to ask for help.
I am a person who always was able to sleep and would generally be out before my head ever hit the pillow. Now I found myself tossing and turning for hours at a time.
Roughly half of patients with cancer have symptoms of insomnia, and many may have sleep problems that linger for at least a year, a small study suggests. The most common malignancies were breast cancer, tumors of the prostate or testicles, and colorectal cancer.
As knowledge has grown about sleep’s integral role in overall health, many sleep scientists have turned their attention to how sleep and cancer are connected.
I need to slowly add the important things back into my life.
It wasn’t until I was awakened early one morning by a phone call from my urologist who informed me that I had prostate cancer that I started to panic. It took me a few seconds to comprehend what he was saying. He then ticked off a list of things I had to do.
The new research looked at cancer patients who took part in a study nearly five years ago.
1
An added component of cancer treatment is discovering what is most meaningful in the patient’s life and using that to buoy them during difficult moments. That, in a nutshell, is the psychiatrist's role.
For cancer patients, untreated depression can mean they stop taking prescriptions, skip their cancer treatment or start engaging in behaviors like smoking or overeating that can harm their health.