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A Good Night Sleep May Keep the Doctor Away

By Christine Cioppa

With all the demands in our day—caring for our families, taking classes, going to work— it’s easy to think, what’s an hour less of sleep? But, people who sleep six hours or less put themselves at risk for accidents and chronic medical conditions.

Adults need seven to eight hours of sleep per day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), but 83.6 million U.S. adults (1/3 of people) get less than seven hours. Those who skimp may be driving tired and are more likely to be among those who fall asleep at the wheel or crash. “Drowsy drivers” cause 83,000 car crashes, several hundred of which are fatal.

Aside from clumsiness and fatigue, sleep deprivation can also be costly to your health.

A new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association links respiratory infections with poor sleep. This is one study in a long line of others linking health conditions and a lack of sleep.

A study in BMC Public Health in 2013 found that insufficient sleep (14 or more days per month of inadequate sleep, often less than seven hours per night) is linked to high blood pressure, asthma and arthritis. Researchers have also reaffirmed the link between lack of sleep and obesity, diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Another study in Psychiatric Services in 2013 found that insufficient sleep was connected to anxiety and depressive disorders.  

According to a recent report by the CDC, “At present, no professional sleep organizations have issued consensus statements or recommendations about the efficacy or safety of either over-the-counter or prescription sleep aids for improving sleep duration in the general adult population.”

If you’re doing too much and then having trouble unwinding when your head does hit the pillow, you may want to talk with a sleep specialist or your doctor.

What do night shifts, hormones, jet lag, and more, have to do with sleep? Find out and get a good night’s sleep. Find your guide to healthy sleep here: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/files/docs/public/sleep/healthy_sleep.pdf

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