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THE THIRD METRIC
HUFFINGTON
02.09.14
sleep apnea and increased cancer
risk of any kind.
Diabetes risk goes up. A 2013 study
from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that too
little (and too much!) sleep was
linked with a host of chronic diseases, including Type 2 diabetes. And
the same 2012 study that found
that sleep deprivation was linked to
hormonal changes associated with
obesity also found that too little
sleep was tied to decreased insulin
sensitivity, a diabetes risk factor.
Heart disease risk increases. Chronic
sleep deprivation has been associated with high blood pressure, atherosclerosis (or cholesterol-clogged
arteries), heart failure and heart
attack, Harvard Health Publications
reports. A 2011 study from Warwick
Medical School researchers found
that inadequate shut-eye was tied
to heart attack risk, cardiovascular
disorders and stroke. “If you sleep
less than six hours per night and
have disturbed sleep you stand a 48
percent greater chance of developing or dying from heart disease and
a 15 per cent greater chance of developing or dying of a stroke,” lead
author Francesco Cappuccio said in
a statement on the findings, which
were published in the European
Heart Journal. “The trend for late
nights and early mornings is actually a ticking time bomb for our
health so you need to act now to
reduce your risk of developing these
life-threatening conditions.”
Sperm count decreases. Besides the
obvious fact that exhaustion isn’t
conducive to getting busy, skipping
sleep can take a hit on fertility. A
Sleeping fewer than
seven hours a night was
associated with a tripled risk
of coming down with a cold.”
2013 study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology of 953
young men in Denmark found those
with high levels of sleep disturbances had a 29 percent lower concentration of sperm in their semen.
Risk of death goes up. A SLEEP study
evaluating 1,741 men and women
over the course of 10 to 14 years
found that men who slept fewer
than six hours had a significant increase in mortality risk, even after
adjusting for diabetes, hypertension and other factors.