Ill-effects of sleeplessness
Wednesday May 5th, 2010
People who cut their sleep short may also cut their lives short, researchers warned last night.
A British study has found that reducing sleep to less than six hours a night increases the risk of premature death by 12 per cent.
Researchers
at Warwick University, UK, have analysed the findings of some 16 pieces
of research around the world - involving more than 1.3 million people.
Too much sleep is also unhealthy, the research published in the journal Sleep finds.
Researcher Professor Francesco Cappuccio said the findings seemed to show that not getting enough sleep is bad for health. He said the link between extended sleep and ill health probably merely showed that people who are unwell tend to sleep for longer than others.
He said: "Modern society has seen a gradual reduction in the average amount of sleep people take, and this pattern is more common amongst full-time workers, suggesting that it may be due to societal pressures for longer working hours and more shift-work.
"Consistently sleeping six to eight hours per night may be optimal for health.
"The duration of sleep should be regarded as an additional behavioural risk factor, or risk marker, influenced by the environment and possibly amenable to change through both education and counselling as well as through measures of public health aimed at favourable modifications of the physical and working environments."
Cappuccio FP, D'Elia L, Strazzullo P & Miller MA. Sleep duration and all-cause mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies. Sleep 2010; 33 (5) online.
Tags: General Health | UK News
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