In today’s fast paced world, it may be difficult for most people to catch up on their sleep, with most of them getting little or no sleep at all. However, those who do manage to get at least seven hours of sleep daily are able to cut the risk of health problems.
According to a study by scientists in Britain, seven hours of sleep is a must for sound health as it reduces the risk of heart problems. But, getting an hour more or less than seven hours could be fatal.
According to lead researcher professor Francesco Cappuccio, of the University of Warwick’s medical school, “Sleep represents the daily process of physiological restitution and recovery, and lack of sleep has far-reaching effects.”
“Our findings indicate that consistently sleeping around seven hours per night is optimal for health,” he stated.
However, Cappuccio also said that insufficient sleep is a risk factor particularly in weight gain, high blood pressure and type two diabetes.
“Fewer hours of sleep and greater levels of sleep disturbance have become widespread in industrialized societies. This change, largely the result of sleep curtailment to create more time for leisure and shiftwork, has meant that reports of fatigue, tiredness and excessiveness daytime sleepiness are more common,” the researcher said.
This conclusion reached by Professor Cappuccio and his team was reached after studying how sleep patterns affected death rates among 10,308 people.
So the best thing you can do for yourself, is to get a full night’s sleep.