Short Duration Sleep Linked to Increased Risk of Premature Death

A review of 16 prospective studies involving more than 1.3 million participants has revealed that sleeping for less than 6 hours each night significantly increases the risk of premature death. Professor Francesco Cappuccio, leader of the Sleep, Health, and Society Programme at the University of Warwick (UK) and colleagues found that people who sleep for less than six hours each night were 12% more likely to die prematurely than those who get the recommended 6-8 hours. People who sleep for more than 9 hours each night were also found to be more likely to die prematurely, however Professor Cappuccio believes that sleeping for less than 6 hours may represent a cause of ill-health, whereas sleeping for 9 or more hours is thought to be an indicator of ill-health. "Consistently sleeping 6 to 8 hours per night may be optimal for health," said Professor Cappuccio. "The duration of sleep should be regarded as an additional behavioral risk factor, or risk marker, influenced by the environment and possibly amenable to change through both education and counseling as well as through measures of public health aimed at favourable modifications of the physical and working environments."