Why You Need More, Scratch That, Less Sleep

Worried that too little sleep might be impacting your health? Don't overdo it. Presenting their findings today to the British Sleep Society, researchers outlined a stark conundrum: lack of sleep can more than double the risk of death from cardiovascular disease, too much sleep doubles the risk for non-cardiovascular-related deaths.

Studying the sleep patterns of over 10,000 civil servants—and adjusting for myriad factors including blood pressure, employment level, and age—the researchers found that both increases and decreases in hours-per-night over a sustained period of time upped one's chances of dying. Though the risks associated with less sleep have long been known, increased mortality rates tied to more sleep came as a surprise: "No potential mechanisms by which long sleep could be associated with increased mortality have yet been investigated," noted Professor Francesco Cappuccio.

The solution? Sleep 7 hours a night and do it consistently. Sounds . . . awful.—Abby Seiff

Comments

[GUNNY HARTMAN]

All good things in moderation, eh?

Do we need a support group for sleep-aholics?

What about binge sleepers? Sleeporexia?

[Sleep Apnea]

Oh how I wish I had that problem. I don't know what it feels like to NOT be exhausted. Sleep apnea has made my life difficult since I was a child, even when I am lucky enough to be able to sleep in, I still dont sleep at all.

[stop sleep apnea]

Ok, so they tested 10,000 civil servants? The old joke is this: Q: How can you tell if a civil servants is alive? A: Wave a paycheck in front of him. And I should know; I used to be a civil servant. Was told I was working way too hard and not to make others look bad.

All kidding aside, sleep disorders are serious business. Sleep apnea, insomnia, narcolepsy, Kleine-Levin syndrome--they all are health threats. Too much, too little sleep? Both ends of the spectrum are dangerous. Both shorten the quality of life and life expectancy.