Physical activity buffers fatigue only under low chronic stress

[Dolphin]

Not an ME/CFS study so may have limited relevance.
Nater has been involved in CFS research.

Short Communication
Physical activity buffers fatigue only under low chronic stress

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DOI:
10.1080/10253890.2016.1192121
Jana Strahlera*, Johanna M. Doerra, Beate Ditzenb, Alexandra Linnemanna, Nadine Skoludaa & Urs M. Natera

Publishing models and article dates explained

• Received: 5 Feb 2016
• Accepted: 17 May 2016
• Published online: 20 Jun 2016

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Abstract
Fatigue is one of the most commonly reported complaints in the general population.

As physical activity (PA) has been shown to have beneficial effects, we hypothesized that everyday life PA improves fatigue.

Thirty-three healthy students (21 women, 22.8 ± 3.3 years, 21.7 ± 2.3 kg/m2) completed two ambulatory assessment periods.

During five days at the beginning of the semester (control condition) and five days during final examination preparation (examination condition), participants repeatedly reported on general fatigue (awakening, 10 am, 2 pm, 6 pm and 9 pm) by means of an electronic diary, collected saliva samples for the assessment of cortisol and α-amylase immediately after providing information on fatigue and wore a triaxial accelerometer to continuously record PA.

Self-perceived chronic stress was assessed as a moderator.

Using hierarchical linear modeling, including PA, condition (control vs. examination), sex and chronic stress as predictors, PA level during the 15 min prior to data entry did not predict momentary fatigue level.

Furthermore, there was no effect of condition.

However, a significant cross-level interaction of perceived chronic stress with PA was observed.

In fact, the (negative) relationship between PA and fatigue was stronger in those participants with less chronic stress.

Neither cortisol nor α-amylase was significantly related to physical activity or fatigue.

Our study showed an immediate short-term buffering effect of everyday life PA on general fatigue, but only when experiencing lower chronic stress.

There seems to be no short-term benefit of PA in the face of higher chronic stress.

These findings highlight the importance of considering chronic stress when evaluating the effectiveness of PA interventions in different target populations, in particular among chronically stressed and fatigued subjects.

Keywords

• Accelerometry,
• chronic stress,
• electronic momentary assessment;fatigue,
• physical activity,
• student sample,
• salivary cortisol,
• salivary α-amylase

 

[Esther12]

This abstract seems weirdly written in a way that makes me wonder if they're trying to avoid being clear for a reason.

 

[anciendaze]

I learned many years ago that medical personnel always interpret the word stress as psychological. If you were trained in strength of materials you would naturally understand that a purely physical interpretation of stress and strain is possible, and you can extend this to the concept of physical stressors other than mechanical force. You can find papers in which physiological stress is carefully delineated, but there are far too many in which the concept remains conveniently slippery.

 

[Snow Leopard]

*yawn*

No physical markers, so it was just an effect of different questionnaire answering behaviour.