- News>
- Newspapers
Six to seven hours sleep, secret of long life!: The Hindustan Times
Washington, Feb 05: Although it`s a common belief that eight hours of sleep is required for optimal health, a six-year study has shown that people who get only six to seven hours of sleep a night have a lower death rate.
Washington, Feb 05: Although it's a common belief that eight hours of sleep is required for optimal health, a six-year study has shown that people who get only six to seven hours of sleep a night have a lower death rate.
The study of more than one million people aged between 30 to 102 also found that individuals who sleep eight hours or more, or less than four hours a night, were shown to have a significantly increased death rate compared to those who averaged six to seven hours.
Researchers from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine and the American Cancer Society collaborated on the study, which appeared in the February 15, 2002 issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, a journal of the American Medical Association.
Although the data indicated the highest mortality rates with long-duration sleep, the study could not explain the causes or reasons for this association.
First author Daniel F. Kripke, a UCSD professor of psychiatry who specializes in sleep research, said, "We don't know if long sleep periods lead to death. Additional studies are needed to determine if setting your alarm clock earlier will actually improve your health."
But, he added, "individuals who now average 6.5 hours of sleep a night, can be reassured that this is a safe amount of sleep. From a health standpoint, there is no reason to sleep longer."
The study also indicated that participants who reported occasional bouts of insomnia did not have an increased mortality rate, but those individuals who took sleeping pills were more likely to die sooner.
"Insomnia is not synonymous with short sleep," the authors said in the article. "Patients commonly complain of insomnia when their sleep duration is well within the range of people without sleep symptoms." They added that physicians believe most patient complaints about "insomnia" are actually related to depression, rather than a diagnosis of insomnia.
The study of more than one million people aged between 30 to 102 also found that individuals who sleep eight hours or more, or less than four hours a night, were shown to have a significantly increased death rate compared to those who averaged six to seven hours.
Researchers from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine and the American Cancer Society collaborated on the study, which appeared in the February 15, 2002 issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, a journal of the American Medical Association.
Although the data indicated the highest mortality rates with long-duration sleep, the study could not explain the causes or reasons for this association.
First author Daniel F. Kripke, a UCSD professor of psychiatry who specializes in sleep research, said, "We don't know if long sleep periods lead to death. Additional studies are needed to determine if setting your alarm clock earlier will actually improve your health."
But, he added, "individuals who now average 6.5 hours of sleep a night, can be reassured that this is a safe amount of sleep. From a health standpoint, there is no reason to sleep longer."
The study also indicated that participants who reported occasional bouts of insomnia did not have an increased mortality rate, but those individuals who took sleeping pills were more likely to die sooner.
"Insomnia is not synonymous with short sleep," the authors said in the article. "Patients commonly complain of insomnia when their sleep duration is well within the range of people without sleep symptoms." They added that physicians believe most patient complaints about "insomnia" are actually related to depression, rather than a diagnosis of insomnia.