Too Little and Too Much Sleep Linked to Chronic Illness

Lisa Franchi October 10, 2013

Sleeping longer doesn’t mean you are sleeping well. According to a group of American researchers, having too little or too much sleep are both linked with chronic health conditions such as heart disease, obesity and diabetes.

Their study involved 54,269 adults ages 45 and older who took part in the 2010 Behavioural Risk Factor Surveillance System survey. 31 per cent of the participants reported getting 6 or fewer hours of nighttime sleep, 64 per cent reported getting 7 to 9 hours, and 4.1 per cent reported getting more than 10 hours of sleep each night.

Researchers found that sleeping for less than 6 hours or more than 10 hours at night is linked to frequent mental distress, stroke, obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. The results were the same even after taking into consideration other potential factors.

According to Janet B. Croft, PhD, the lead author of the study and a senior chronic disease epidemiologist at the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Population Health, sleeping longer doesn’t mean sleeping well. She said it is important to understand that both the quality and quantity of sleep can impact one’s health. "A healthy, balanced lifestyle is not limited to diet and fitness; when and how you sleep is just as important as what you eat or how you exercise." Dr Croft said in a statement.

Researchers note that further studies are needed to determine how mental health and maintenance of normal weight may interact with sleep duration to prevent the onset of chronic diseases.

Their findings were published in the journal Sleep

This is not the first time that experts have looked into the health effects of too little and too much sleep. In a 2012 study presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 61st Annual Scientific Session, researchers revealed that people who get less or too much sleep each night have an increased risk of heart disease.

The Sleep Council, a non-profit organisation that provides good sleep advice, recommends getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night.

Source of this article:

Sleeping Too Little Or Too Much May Be Bad For Your Health