We all know getting a good night’s sleep is important for us, with many of us consistently aiming to get eight hours of shut eye every time we hit the hay.
However, a new study has shown the ‘tipping point’ for ill health when it comes to sleep – and it may make you think twice about pulling an all-nighter anytime soon.
Why? According to the PLoS Medicine study, carried out by researchers from University College London and Paris Cité University. people who get less than five hours of sleep a night face a much higher risk of multiple health problems as they age.
Researchers tracked the health and sleep patterns of 8000 UK civil servants over two decades – who all at age 50 had no chronic illnesses. They were all asked ‘How many hours of sleep do you have on an average weeknight?’ and were required to come in for health checks for the following 25 years.
And now for the scary bit – people who slept five hours or less every night had a 30% higher risk of developing multiple chronic diseases over time than participants who got at least seven hours of shut eye a night.
At age 60, there was a 32% higher risk for those sleeping for less than five hours a night, and at 70, it soared to a 40% greater risk.
Diabetes, cancer, stroke, heart failure, liver disease and dementia were just a few of the diseases that the sleep-dodgers were at higher risk of.
The researchers say that we should be getting around seven to eight hours a night – so excuse us while we change our alarms.