Physical Activity and Sleep Duration on Health

Dear Colleagues,

It is our pleasure to present this Special Issue on “Physical Activity and Sleep Duration on Health” in the Applied Sciences journal.

Sleep, physical activity, and sedentary behaviour are associated with a wide range of important health and developmental outcomes in children and adolescents. Sleep plays an important role in early childhood growth and health. If preschool children have insufficient sleep, they are more prone to obesity or growth disorders and have a higher risk of psychological problems. A lot of studies, as well as the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the American Sleep Medicine Foundation, say that preschool children (3–5 years old) need 10–13 h of sleep every day. Regarding physical activity (PA), related research shows that school-age children with adequate PA are more likely to get adequate sleep than those with lower PA. World Health Organization guidelines on PA and sedentary behaviour for children recommend: (1) 180 min of PA (at any intensity) for two-year old children, (2) 180 min of PA, of which 60 min are moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) for 3- to 4-year-old children, and (3) at least 60 min of MVPA for 5-year-old children. More links between sleep and PA have been postulated , as well as the general and much-discussed notions that PA is good for sleep and vice versa.

In this Special Issue, we welcome contributions that describe and list the links between PA and sleep. Your contribution is welcome in the form of an original article, case report, commentary, and systematic review with meta-analysis.

Dr. Georgian Badicu
Dr. Hadi Nobari
Prof. Dr. Gabriel González-Valero
Prof. Dr. Manuel Castro Sanchez
Guest Editors

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