It’s a well known fact that getting a good night’s sleep, usually estimated to be of eight hours, a nutritious, balanced diet and  a regular exercise routine are key to living a long, healthy life. Studies have recently shown that women who get eight hours of sleep every night and exercise on a regular basis are in fact lowering their chances to develop cancer.

One of the studies was conducted by James McClain, from the National Cancer Institute. The study was carried out on almost 6000 women over 18 years old from Maryland, on a period of approximately 10 years. At the end of the study, it was concluded that those women who got about an hour of daily exercise and over seven hours of sleep almost every night had 47% less chances to develop cancer.

In another recent study, researchers concluded that women who sleep less than 6 hours a night have 60% more chance to develop breast cancer. This study was conducted in Sendai, Japan, by a team of researchers from the Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, and it was published in the British Journal of Cancer.

Exercise and sleep are beneficial not only to help prevent cancer, but in the fight against other diseases as well. For instance, exercising regularly for about 30 minutes helps prevent high blood pressure, diabetes and heart diseases in general. Also, it works as an up lifter, as exercise releases endorphins. An adequate amount of rest is also crucial for leading a healthy life, not only for reducing the risk of developing cancer.