A good night's sleep can extend life expectancy
A study proved that good sleeping habits can significantly affect a person's life.
We know very well that sleep is inextricably linked to our general health, as well as to our performance in everyday life, however we could not have imagined that it would prove to extend life expectancy. According to a study presented at the annual Scientific Session Together With the World Congress of Cardiology of the American College of Cardiology, good sleep can play an important role in supporting heart and overall health.
In particular, the scientists concluded that young people who have better sleeping habits are progressively less likely to die prematurely, while on the other hand the data showed that about 8% of deaths from any cause could be attributed to poor sleeping habits. .
As study co-leader and specialist physician Frank Qian said, "We saw a clear dose-response relationship, so the more beneficial factors one has in terms of higher sleep quality, they also have an incremental reduction in all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality". However, what the scientist underlined was that it is not enough to sleep long hours, but to have a restful and uninterrupted sleep.
Research under the microscope
The study looked at data from 172,321 people with an average age of 50 - of whom 54% were women - who participated in the NHIS between 2013 and 2018, which collected details on the sleep habits of the US population. Participants were followed for about 4.3 years, a time during which 8,681 people died. Of these, 2,610 deaths (30%) were due to cardiovascular disease, 2,052 (24%) to cancer and 4,019 (46%) to other causes.
In essence, the researchers evaluated the evidence based on various factors of sleep using a low-risk sleep score. These were: 1) ideal sleep duration of seven to eight hours per night, 2) difficulty falling asleep no more than twice a week, 3) difficulty maintaining sleep no more than twice a week, 4) no use of sleep medications sleep and 5) feeling rested upon waking at least five days per week.
The important findings
According to the results, compared to people who had zero to one favorable sleep factor, those who had all five were 30% less likely to die from any cause, 21% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease, 19% less likely to die from cancer and 40% less likely to die from causes other than heart disease or cancer. "If people have all these ideal sleep behaviors, they are more likely to live longer ," Qian said, adding that " so if we can improve sleep overall, and identifying sleep disorders is particularly important, we might be able to to prevent some of this premature mortality."
In men and women who were rated for all 5 categories of sleep quality, life expectancy was 4.7 years longer for men and 2.4 years longer for women compared to those who had none or only one of the five elements of low-risk sleep. "Even from a young age, if people can develop these good sleep habits, that is, getting enough sleep, making sure they sleep without many distractions and having good sleep hygiene overall, it can greatly benefit their overall long-term health." said Qian characteristically, adding that it is never too early or too late to evaluate our sleep.
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