Sleeping for less than five hours puts you at risk of these chronic diseases, study shows

It is recommended that the average adult sleeps for at least seven hours at night to ensure optimum health and well-being. But many people, for various reasons, sleep for less than the recommended number of hours. Now, a study is showing that adults who sleep for five hours or less are putting themselves at risk of multiple chronic diseases; they are even more likely to die early.

Sleep habits

Researchers examined closely the health and sleep patterns of 8,000 civil servants in the UK who did not have any chronic disease at the age of 50. The participants were made to report on the number of hours of sleep they have on an average weeknight. Some also went to bed with a wristwatch sleep tracker. This information was tracked every four to five years for the next 25 years.

After examining the data, researchers found that people aged 50, who reported sleeping for five hours or less had a 30% higher risk of developing chronic diseases over time. This risk increases by 2% at age 60 and shoots up to 40% among 70 year-olds. In the research published in the journal PLoS Medicine, lead author Severine Sabia, PhD, of Université Paris Cité said:

Our study showed that sleep five hours or less is associated with 30 to 40 percent increased risk of onset of multimorbidity.

Chronic diseases linked to inadequate sleep

Diseases for which there was a higher risk included diabetes, cancer, coronary heart disease, stroke, heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic kidney disease, liver disease, depression, dementia, mental disorders, Parkinson’s and arthritis, reports CNN. The authors concluded:

These findings support the promotion of good sleep hygiene on both primary and secondary prevention by targeting behavioral and environmental conditions that affect sleep duration and quality.

Sources used:

BBC: Five hours' sleep is tipping point for bad health

CNN: People who sleep 5 hours or less a night face higher risk of multiple health problems as they age, study finds

Everyday Health: Older Adults Who Sleep 5 Hours or Less May Be at Higher Risk for Multiple Chronic Diseases

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