Lack Of Sleep Is Deadly

PEOPLE who do not get enough sleep are more than twice as likely to die of heart disease.

A British study released yesterday said the reasons were unclear, but researchers said lack of sleep appeared to increase blood pressure.

A 17-year analysis of 10,000 government workers showed those who cut their sleep from 7 hours a night to 5 or less faced a 1.7-fold increased risk of death from all causes and more than double the risk of heart attack death.

The findings highlight a danger in busy modern lifestyles, said Francesco Cappuccio, professor of cardiovascular medicine.

"A third of the population of the UK and over 40% in the US regularly sleep less than 5 hours a night, so it is not a trivial problem," he said.

"The current pressures in society to cut out sleep, in order to squeeze in more, may not be a good idea—particularly if you go below 5 hours."

Previous research has highlighted the health risks of shift work and disrupted sleep.

But the latest study, which was supported by British Government and US funding, is the first to link duration of sleep and mortality rates.

This article is extracted from Herald Sun (Melbourne, Australia), dated September 25th, 2007.