Sleeping less than five hours may be linked to an increased risk of developing at least two chronic diseases, such as heart disease, cancer or diabetes, according to research published in “PLOS Medicine.”
The researchers looked at the impact of sleep duration on the health of more than 7,000 men and women aged 50, 60 and 70 years from the Whitehall II cohort study. The relationship between how much sleep each participant slept, mortality and whether they had been diagnosed with two or more chronic diseases (multimorbidity) – such as heart disease, cancer or diabetes – over the course of 25 years was evaluated.
People who reported getting five or fewer hours of sleep at age 50 were 20% more likely to have been diagnosed with a chronic disease and 40% more likely to have been diagnosed with two or more chronic diseases over 25 years. years, compared to those who slept up to seven hours.
In addition, sleeping five hours or less at ages 50, 60 and 70 was associated with a 30% to 40% increased risk of multimorbidity, compared with those who slept up to seven hours.
The researchers also discovered that sleeping five hours or less at age 50 was associated with a 25% increased risk of mortality over 25 years of follow-upwhich can be explained mainly by the fact that short sleep duration increases the risk of suffering from chronic diseases which, in turn, increase the risk of death.
Lead author Severine Sabia, from the UCL Institute of Epidemiology and Health and Inserm-University of Paris Cité notes that “multimorbidity is increasing in high-income countries and more than half of older adults already suffer from at least two chronic diseases. This is assuming a great challenge for public health, since it is associated with a high use of health services, hospitalizations and disability.
“As people age, their sleep habits and structure change. However, it is recommended to sleep between 7 and 8 hours per night, since the duration of sleep above or below this figure has previously been associated with individual chronic diseases.
«Our findings show that short sleep duration is also associated with multimorbidity.“, Add.
To ensure a better night’s sleep, the researcher recommends “promoting good sleep hygiene, such as making sure the bedroom is quiet, dark and at a comfortable temperature before sleeping. It is also advised to remove electronic devices and avoid large meals before bedtime. Physical activity and light exposure during the day could also promote good sleep.”
As part of the study, the researchers also tested whether sleeping for a long time, nine hours or more, affected health outcomes. There was no clear association between long sleep durations at age 50 years and multimorbidity in healthy people.
However, if a participant had already been diagnosed with a chronic illness, long sleep duration was associated with an approximately 35% increased risk of developing another illness. The researchers believe this could be due to underlying health conditions that affect sleep.