Sleep: Valuable or a waste of productive time?
Sleep deprivation is extremely common at some time in the lives
of most folks, but did you know too-little sleep as a habit can
weaken your immune system and impair all aspects of your cognition? Research shows sleeping less than six hours per night quadruples your risk of catching a cold. Now that we’re moving into the
cold and flu season, it’s a good time to check out your sleeping
habits and see whether changes are needed to ward off those banes
of wintertime.
According to National Sleep Foundation survey data on how
much sleep Americans get, as many as one-in-five people get less
than six hours of sleep per night – and a 2013 Gallup poll suggests
this number may be closer to 40 percent. If you care about your
health, don’t be in this category of short sleepers!
The results from numerous studies suggest that, to protect your
health, you need around eight hours of sleep per night; and at least
seven hours’ sleep. This applies to adults and seniors alike – and
school-aged children need anywhere from nine-to-11 hours, with
teenagers needing eight-to-10 hours’ sleep each night.
The downside of insufficient sleep
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep
Research Society recently published updated sleep guidelines
based on recent research, warning that habitually sleeping less than
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seven hours per night is associated with weakened immune function, weight gain, hypertension, depression, stroke, impaired performance/cognition, heightened accident risk and even premature
death.
Another recent study showed that adults who sleep less than six
hours a night have a four-times higher risk of catching a cold when
directly exposed to the virus, as opposed to those who get at least
seven hours – and sleeping less than five hours per night resulted in
a four-and-a-half-times higher risk. Interestingly, researchers found
that sleep was more important than any other factor when it came
to protecting against the cold virus, including stress levels or age. It’s
important to remember that your immune system is your primary
line of defense against any virus, so keeping your immune function
high should be at the top of your list if you want to stay healthy.
In summary, here’s a statement by Dr. Nathaniel F. Watson, President of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine:
“Sleep is just as important to your health as diet and exercise.
People need to view sleep as a tool to achieve a healthy life, rather
than as something that interferes with all their other activities.”
For more information about sleep disorders, call 800-555-1990
option 4, or fill out the “Request an Appointment Form” at
www.DemandDeborah.org. d