A good night’s sleep may seem like a small price to pay to get ahead in today’s fast paced world. The extra hours put in might get you a promotion and a raise but have serious long term consequences, according to a study by the University of Warwick and University College London.
Those who manage fewer than seven hours of sleep double the risk of heart problems, warn researchers. Long-term studies show that those who drop down to five hours or fewer face a 70 per cent extra risk of dying from all causes.
The study looked at how sleep patterns affected death rates among 10,308 subjects, mainly white-collar civil servants. Researchers examined data for 1985-8 and for those still alive in 1992-93
Professor Francesco Cappuccio, of the University of Warwick medical school, said:
Fewer hours of sleep and greater levels of sleep disturbance have become widespread in industrialized societies. Our findings indicate that consistently sleeping around seven hours per night is optimal for health.
He said insufficient sleep was a risk factor in weight gain, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.
However, getting more than seven hours can also be a risk, according to the study. Those who slept for eight hours or more a night were more than twice as likely to die as those who had not changed their habits. But it is unclear how sleeping too long could cause ill-health, although possible causes included depression and low socio-economic status.
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Source: Dailymail