Are your sleep habits healthy or harmful?
news, self care
30th Aug 2010
2 Comments »
Are your sleep habits hurting your health? And how much sleep do you really need to be healthy?
When I was a child, I was legendary for not wanting to go to sleep. I am pretty sure that I drove my parents to the brink of insanity. As a teenager, I still liked staying up late, but there was always a point where my eyes would slowly…start to … get sleepier as I read. Until I would fall asleep with the light on – and then wake up an hour later and turn it off.
A recent study published in the journal SLEEP suggests there is a correlation between cardiovascular disease and regularly sleeping for either more or less than seven hours per day.
Eight percent of the study population reported sleeping five hours per day or less including naps, and multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that their risk of any cardiovascular disease was more than two times higher than that of people who reported a daily sleep duration of seven hours (adjusted odds ratio = 2.20). Nine percent of participants reported sleeping nine hours or more per day, and they also had an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease (adjusted OR = 1.57).
When you are sleep deprived, your body becomes more insulin resistant – giving you blood sugar swings and priming your system to store more fat. Lack of sleep is also associated with elevated blood pressure and increased stress which can increase the risk of hardening of the arteries. Oversleeping may relate to a breathing disorder or poor sleep quality.
What seems most important about this study is that it’s not the exact number of hours of sleep that you’re getting, but having regular, consistent sleep each night that matters.
How much sleep you actually need depends on the individual. Some people do well with seven hours, while others need eight. And according to a recent article, some New Yorkers get by on very little – four hours or less.
How well do you sleep? How do you feel if you get more or less than you normally get?
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Christy,
I’m glad you brought this research to light. I’m famous for cutting my sleep hours when I have too much to do. I didn’t realize I was possibly cutting time off my life by making that choice. thanks.
I think what’s most important about this study is that you get what you need on a regular basis. And if you find that work is taking up so much of your time that you can’t get enough sleep, it’s time to start cutting out the unnecessary activities – or changing your priorities.
You know, I used to say “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” After everything that I’ve learned about the importance of sleep, I make sure that I get regular, restful nights as much as I can.