Less Than Six Hours of Sleep Could Lead to Early Death – New Research

Sleeping for less than 6 hours a night could lead to early death

Getting less than six hours of sleep a night could almost double the risk of an early death, new research has found. The study, conducted by researchers from Pennsylvania State College of Medicine, sleep-tested 16,000 adults between the ages of 20 and 74, tracking their health for two decades.

Publishing their results in the Journal of the American Heart Association, individuals with existing conditions such a high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes were twice as likely to suffer a fatal heart attack or stroke if they weren’t getting enough shut-eye each night –that’s anything under six hours.
Lack of sleep was also linked to stress, low mood and risk of obesity.

“It is recommended that for optimal health you need to sleep between six to eight hours a night. In 2018, a study found that the average person in the UK slept between just five and six (6.83) hours a night. And with an estimated 15million people in the UK living with a significant health condition, these are worrying statistics.
“We know that there is a tight link between sleep and the immune system,” says sleep psychologist and lead author of the study Julio Fernandez-Mendoza. “Sleep-deprived people also have higher levels of inflammation.”