Sleep - How Much is Enough?

Posted by rajajang

March 25, 2008

A good night’s sleep should be the most natural thing in the world. However, many people find that the pace of modern living affects their quality of sleep. The inability to fall asleep is called insomnia and it is often assumed that it is detrimental to our health.

The most frequent reason why people do not have a good night’s sleep is because they have to get up in the middle of the night to urinate. Interruption of a sleep pattern is not good for aging.

Stresses of life also is a big factor. Many sleep only a few hours a day. Studies have shown that continuous deprivation of sleep over as little as 7 days can unbalance the blood sugar level. If you are a diabetic, please pay attention to this important fact.

Over the years, extensive studies have been conducted on sleep pattern and longevity. In a study involving more than 1.1 million men and women between the ages of 30 and 102 years for 6 years, it was found that during this period, , 9.4% of the men and 5.1% of the women had died.

Interestingly, some of the findings were as follows: -

1. The most common cause of death was heart disease and stroke. This comprised 43 per cent among the women and 49 per cent among the men.

2. Cancer accounted for 36 per cent of deaths among women and 29 per cent among men.

3. People who slept an average of 7 hours every night had the best survival rate.

4. People who had more than 8.5 hours of sleep or less than 4 hours had a 15 per cent increase in overall mortality as compared to those who slept 7 hours every night.

5. People who slept 10 hours or more had a 30-40 per cent higher mortality than those who slept 7 hours at night.

The study showed that there was no excess mortality among people with insomnia. However, those who depended on sleeping pills had a 10-25 per cent higher mortality than non-users.

This study concluded no rational explanation. It was evident that people who slept between 7 to 7.5 hours a night tend to live longer.

How much sleep is enough? My answer is simple: When you don’t have to wake up with an alarm clock (ie. When you wake up naturally), that is the way your body tells you that you have enough.

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