Surviving the Hospital: How Exercise in Bed Can Save Your health (and Sanity)
It's a bit ironic that hospitals, where we go to get better, can sometimes be risky places, especially for older patients. Sure, hospitals excel at tackling acute illnesses, infections, and saving lives — kudos to them for that! But here’s the kicker: they're not exactly known for keeping patients in top form while they’re there.
When people land in a hospital bed, their health can take a nosedive. They become couch potatoes in record time, losing muscle mass faster than a deflating football (shout out Tom Brady). This decline, known as an 'iatrogenic condition', happens regardless of why they're admitted. It’s a big headache in healthcare.
But here’s the good news: a little physical activity and protein can work wonders! Researchers are diving into how exercise and diet can save the day. Turns out, keeping patients moving and munching on protein can speed up recovery, cut down on hospital stays, and dodge those nasty health dips.
Take a recent study where they tested this out on folks aged 55-65. The participants were split into 2 groups. Both groups spent 14 days on bed rest, but one group did an hour of exercise each day, right from their beds! Cardio, resistance training — you name it, they did it lying down! Both groups also ate the same amount of protein, to make sure that diet was not influencing the results.
The results eye-opening (but also not surprising considering how awesome exercise is)! Two weeks of bed rest usually spells trouble: muscle loss, wonky mitochondria (those energy powerhouses in cells), and even nerve-muscle disconnections. Not great.
But guess what? The exercise group dodged all these bullets. They held onto their muscles, kept mitochondria humming, and stayed wired up nerve-wise. How awesome is that?!
So, next time you or a loved one ends up in the hospital, remember this: a bit of exercise, tailored to what you can manage, could be your secret weapon. No need to worry about hospital gowns or IV lines tripping you up in the hallways. Just flex those muscles right where you are!
Here is some more research in this area for those interested (simply type the PMID number in pubmed.com and the study will pop right up!)
PMID: 22110598, PMID: 37862825, PMID: 25986139, PMID: 26954274, PMID: 31747050
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