To Sleep, Or Not to Sleep?

New research published last month questioned the traditional wisdom of getting 7-8 hours sleep a night.

The study at the University of California looked at the sleeping patterns and death rates of over 1 million adults in their 50's over a six year period. Researchers found that the ideal amount of sleep is between six and seven hours a night and those that needed 8 hours were 12% more likely to die over this six year period than people who slept just 7 hours.

Meanwhile, separate research conducted in Quebec, Canada found that the condition sleep apnoea, which causes disrupted sleep patterns could affect mental as well as physical health. It could affect as much as 25% of the population and causes breathing to stop regularly during sleep. In severe cases, breathing can be disrupted more than ten times an hour, disrupting sleep patterns. This causes problems during the day due to exhaustion and could even lead to depression and increased risk from heart attack and strokes.

Edith Maskell of Bromley Health Management commented; "The worrying thing about the Californian study is that it's going to frighten people into setting their alarm clocks earlier, or worrying about the amount of sleep they're getting, which isn't going to make them less tired and isn't conducive to a good night's rest".

"Sleep is a good indicator of general health. While, in my opinion, sleeping longer in itself isn't a health risk, if your sleep is disrupted or you're so tired you need extra sleep, that would suggest there's something else wrong in the body, or that you're stressed or depressed. If you don't deal with the root causes of sleep problems, then they will have an effect on your health in the long run. Most importantly, don't rely on sleeping tablets - that's a short-term fix at best. To get a good night's sleep, you need to be relaxed and healthy".

"If you're concerned about your health, see a specialist".

So as the evidence suggests, sleep is very important to the daily function of life and mental well-being, but don't get too much....

Tuesday, 12 March 2002