Prescription for Sleep: More Is Better
Getting anything less than 7 or 8 hours of sleep a night may be harmful to your health.
By R. Morgan Griffin WebMD the Magazine
Want to lower your risk of heart disease, cancer, obesity, and depression? Go to bed.“We don’t take sleep seriously enough,” says Michael J. Sateia, MD, medical director of the Sleep Disorders Service at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H. “It’s essential to life. If you disrupt the sleep cycle, you could face grave health repercussions throughout your body.”It’s not absolutely clear that sleep loss leads to bad health, but evidence is mounting. Decreased sleep is now associated with dozens of different illnesses and health problems. We live in a chronically overtired society. In this country, half of us aren’t getting the seven to eight hours of sleep we need -- and our health may be suffering for it. “Getting enough sleep should be considered just as important as eating a healthy diet and exercising,” Sateia says. Who knew that lying around could be so good for you?Sleep as RxWhile scientists still don’t know exactly why we need sleep, we know with certainty that we do need it. “A natural cycle of rest and wakefulness dictates all sorts of biological functions,” says Michael Twery, PhD, director of the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research in Bethesda, Md. In other words, start messing with the sleep cycle, and lots of things -- metabolism, hormone levels, and blood pressure -- go out of whack. Sleep loss has been associated with:Heart disease. Not getting enough sleep may trigger the release of stress hormones and proteins that bump up the risk of heart attacks and strokes. One large study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine in 2003 showed that women who slept less than five hours a night were 45% more likely to have heart problems than women who slept eight hours.Diabetes. Being sleep-deprived can affect how your body processes blood sugar, and that could raise your risk of diabetes. One 1999 Lancet study of 11 healthy, young men found that after just six days of sleeping for four hours a night, their insulin and blood sugar levels were similar to those of people on the verge of diabetes.Cancer. Sleeping too little has been linked with an increased risk of breast and colon cancer. Why? Exposure to light at night can decrease levels of the hormone melatonin, which may protect against cancer. Some researchers think shift workers may be more likely to get breast cancer than other women because of their exposure to artificial light at night.Obesity. Multiple studies show that chronic loss of sleep may increase the risk of obesity. One 2004 study showed that people who sleep five hours a night are 73% more likely to become obese than those who sleep seven to nine hours. Sleep loss may cause the hormones that control appetite to get out of balance.Depression. Depression and sleep are closely linked: While depression can cause sleep loss, sleep loss can lead to depression. In fact, some researchers believe a cause of postpartum depression is sleep deprivation.Infection. Recent studies show that being well rested improves the body’s ability to fight off infection. One 2002 JAMA study showed that men who were vaccinated for the flu after sleeping only four hours a night for six nights had less than half the flu-fighting antibodies of men who slept normally.Accidents. You might not consider accidents a health risk. But there’s no denying a car crash can have a severe impact on your health. Lack of sleep may be the culprit in up to 20% of all serious auto accidents. And several high-profile disasters -- such as Chernobyl and the Exxon Valdez oil spill -- were caused, in part, by overtired workers.Feel a lack of sleep doesn’t affect you that much? Don’t trust yourself. People who are chronically overtired often don’t realize it -- they’ve just gotten used to feeling that way.Good Sleep AdviceThe list of health problems above may be scary, but don’t let it keep you up at night. The health effects of sleeplessness seem to develop over a long time. The key is to make sleep more of a priority now. Talk to your doctor about ways to improve your behavior.If you suspect you might have a sleep disorder -- such as chronic insomnia or sleep apnea -- you may require treatment, such as medications or a breathing machine.Of course, getting enough sleep isn’t always easy. Part of the problem is that, as a culture, we don’t have much respect for sleep. While your co-workers will compliment you if you lose 10 pounds or run a marathon, they’re generally unimpressed by tales of extreme napping. You’ll just get pegged as lazy. We’re all supposed to aspire to be the early bird, the go-getter, the freak of nature who needs only four hours of sleep a night. “Unfortunately, going without sleep is still a badge of courage,” says Sateia. Experts say it’s time to change that. So take a stand for better health and forget the early bird. Maybe we could learn something from the sloth? Note: Oh boy are we in trouble. School assignments are killing us slowly.