Middle-aged and older people who get less than five hours of sleep a night may be at risk for a range of serious and chronic health conditions, from heart disease to cancer, a large study found. shown in the results.
Researchers from University College London, UK and Université Paris-Cité, France, found that after the age of 50, people who slept five hours or less a night had a 30% higher risk of developing multiple chronic diseases. . Minimum of 7 hours per night. By the time the participant turned 70, his risk increased to 40%.
High-risk diseases include diabetes, cancer, coronary artery disease, stroke, heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic kidney diseaseliver disease, depressiondementia, Parkinson’s diseaseand arthritis.
“Taking care of our sleep is important,” said lead researcher Dr. Severin Sabia. Medscape Medical NewsSabia is a researcher and epidemiologist at Université Paris-Cité and INSERM, Paris, France, and University College London.
She said the cause of sleep problems should be addressed, but if there is no medical reason for sleep deprivation, “healthy sleep habits are necessary. These include a regular sleep schedule. , maintaining a healthy lifestyle, physical activity, exposure to light during the day, a light dinner, and avoiding screens for 30 minutes before bed.”
research is publish online October 18th PLOS Medicine.
Risk of multiple chronic diseases
Previous research Sleeping less than 5 hours or more than 9 hours has been suggested to be associated with cancer and cardiovascular disease (CVD).
In the current study, Sabia and her team, as part of the Whitehall II cohort study, asked approximately 8,000 British civil servants to report how much they slept every four to five years starting at age 50 and over the next 25 years. I requested. Study participants were 50 years old, had no chronic disease, and were mostly male (67.5%) and Caucasian (90%).
Researchers found that 50-year-olds who slept five hours or less were 30% more likely to be diagnosed with multiple chronic conditions over time (hazard ratio). [HR] = 1.30; 95% CI: 1.12 – 1.50; P. < .001) compared to 7 h sleep peers.
At age 60, those who slept 5 hours or less had a 32% higher risk of developing multiple chronic diseases (HR = 1.32; 95% CI: 1.13 – 1.55; P. < .001), and by age 70, this risk increased to 40% compared to peers with 7 hours of sleep per night (HR = 1.40; 95% CI: 1.16 – 1.68; P. < .001).
Of those participants who slept more than 9 hours per night, only those aged 60 years or older (HR = 1.54, 95% CI: 1.15 – 2.06; P. = .003) and 70 (HR = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.10 – 2.08; P. = .010) were at increased risk of developing multiple chronic diseases.
Sabia pointed out that previous research has shown that people who sleep less than five hours a night are more likely to develop diabetes. high blood pressure, CVD, or dementia. “However, chronic illnesses are often comorbid, especially in the elderly, and it remains unclear how sleep duration may be associated with the risk of multimorbidity.” He pointed out that several scientific hypotheses have been proposed to underlie this association.
“Sleep is important for the regulation of several bodily functions, including the regulation of daily metabolism, endocrine secretion, and inflammation, and dysregulation may increase the risk of several chronic diseases.”
The authors acknowledge several study limitations, including the fact that the data were obtained via participant self-reports, and may be subject to reporting bias. were Caucasian in , the study sample lacked diversity. In addition to this, the researchers noted that the study population of British civil servants tended to be healthier than the general population.
chicken or egg?
Comments on survey results Medscape Medical NewsCharlene Gamaldo, MD, cautioned when interpreting the findings. ‘, he pointed out.
Gamaldo, a professor of neurology and psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, and medical director of the JHU Center for Sleep and Health, said previous studies have shown that sleep is more effective among people who suffer from sleep disorders. has been shown to be underestimated. insomnia Overestimation is also found in people with chronic behavioral sleep deprivation.
Gamaldo also raised the issue of sleep quality.
“For example, based on untreated sleep apnea, getting five hours of good quality sleep is less of a concern than eight hours of poor quality sleep,” she said.
Additionally, she noted that chronic health problems can interfere with sleep.
“To me, what is supported by the current literature and this paper is that individuals with dissatisfied sleep quality, short duration, or effects on daytime functioning should be encouraged to assess underlying causes.” It means that you need to deal with your care provider.
“People who sleep less than five hours and are not complaining should consider whether five hours really represents the amount of sleep they need to wake up rested and function at their best. The answer is ‘ If no, then you should prioritize more sleep.
This study was funded by the National Institute on Aging, the National Institutes of Health, the British Council for Research and Medicine, the British Heart Foundation, the Wellcome Trust, and the French National Research Agency. Investigators and Garmald have not reported any related financial relationships.
Proswan. Published online on October 18, 2022. full text
Eve Bender is a Pittsburgh-based medical journalist who began working for Medscape Medical News in October 2022. Prior to that, she was a contributor to Psychiatric News, Neurology Today, and MedPage Today.
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