Sleeping Well is Linked to Health and Longevity
by Allyson Dekker on June 7th, 2010
Loading ...A recent study of nearly 16,000 Chinese adults over the age of 65 found that there was an interesting connection between those who were in better health and those who slept well. Researchers from the Portland State University also found that being male, living in a rural area, having a higher socioeconomic status and good health were all associated with a higher quality of sleep. The study was chosen to take place in China which has one of the largest elderly populations in the world with nearly 40.5 million residents over 75 years old. Although sickness and poor health obviously affect sleep patterns, the researchers found that conversely, getting a good night’s sleep definitely benefited the individual healthwise.
In a 2009 survey by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), one in 10 Americans reported having difficulty sleeping and an estimated 50 to 70 million Americans have chronic sleep disorders. Sleep is proven to be a necessity, not a luxury, as it is time the body spends on repair and recovery. Professor Jim Horne from the Sleep Research Centre in the UK’s Loughborough University explained that the problem of a night of high activity will not simply be one of feeling sleepy the next day. Lack of sleep affects the part of the brain which responds to taking in new information, innovative thinking and responding intelligently to changing circumstances. Someone lacking sleep is likely to be short-focused, irritable and fixated on trivia.
Recent history shows a series of deadly catastrophes which were later shown to be caused partially or wholly by lack of sleep. The Bhopal disaster in India at an industrial pesticide plant, the nuclear meltdowns at Chernobyl and Three Mile Island, PA, the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster and the Exxon Valdez oil spill were all later shown to have been influenced partly or entirely by overtired personnel, not to mention countless driving accidents when drivers have fallen asleep at the wheel.
A study by the Sleep Council showed that politicians were often the most sleep deprived professionals of all, averaging 5.2 hours sleep a night, whilst lawyers got 7.8 hours, mother of infants claimed 7.1 hours and teachers got 6 hours. Horrifyingly, hospital doctors making life-or-death decisions got by on just 4 hours sleep.
Our sleep patterns certainly change with age. Babies need 18 hours sleep, children up to 11 hours, teenagers need 9 hours and adults and the elderly need 6-8 hours. It has been shown in studies that people sleeping less than 6 hours a night were 12% more likely to die before the age of 65 than those who slept 6-8 hours. Lack of sleep has been proven to cause both psychological and physiological stress. Working beyond our body’s capacity to repair itself inevitably leads to illness as the immune system and the cardiovascular system are overloaded. Whether you are an “owl” staying up late, or a “lark” rising early, make sure you regularly get the required amount of sleep your body needs, for your health’s sake.
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