THE SLEEP HABIT THAT ENHANCES LONGEVITY

Over the years there has been a scientific debate centered around the notion of finding the ideal number of hours that a person should be advised to sleep for the best result for their health. Different studies seemed to indicate that seven, eight or perhaps nine hours was most beneficial. A clear consensus was never able to be found among different studies and researchers. A recent study suggests, however, that a different factor is at play which may trump the number of hours you sleep as the most important factor.

A new study has found that sleep “regularity”, going to bed and waking up on a consistent schedule , may be even more important than the number of hours one has slept. This study indicated that sleeping six hours on a consistent schedule was associated with a lower risk of early death than sleeping an average of eight hours if the extra sleep time was associated with irregular sleep habits. Matt Walker a neuroscientist is the director of the Center for Human Sleep Science at the University of California at Berkeley. He explains, “not just how much you sleep but the regularity with which you sleep has now come on to the map and exploded as perhaps the more important thing.”  This may be good news for those who due to family-social-and job factors are unable to get the generally recommended seven plus hours of sleep. Shorter, regular sleep patterns seem to be health protective compared to longer sleep hours which were done in a very irregular fashion. The study author states, “A lot of people feel hampered by social or job requirements. If you’re able to make it consistent at least, you’ll be doing something for your health.”  It should be noted however that the amount of hours one sleeps  is still important and it is felt that an insufficient number of hours , less than six per night, is injurious to one’s health.

The study which was published in the scientific journal Sleep, found that sleep regularity was associated with a reduction in premature death by 20%-48%.

Another study published by lead researcher Dr Frank Qian of the Boston Medical Center found that “the longer you are able to maintain an optimal sleep pattern, that will probably have the greatest impact on your health and longevity”. In the scientific journal QJM- an International Journal of Medicine, a population based study included survey answers from over 172,000 participants was reported with the title Association of health sleep patterns with risk of mortality and life expectancy at age of 30 years.  This study which had an observation period of over four reported statistically significant benefits for life expectancy for those with healthy sleep patterns. Their statistical analysis showed between 2.4-4.7 years of life expectancy benefit with healthy sleep patterns.

Although sleeping poorly for a night or two occasionally isn’t a health risk, chronic poor sleep is associated with an increased risk of many of the major conditions which carry with them risk of early death.

High blood pressure, Heart Disease, Stroke and kidney disease are four related conditions whose prevalence is increased in those who are sleep deprived.

Obesity and Diabetes are somewhat related, and the prevalence of both conditions seems to be increased with chronic poor sleep, and the severity of the conditions worsened with poor sleep.

Cancer. Poor sleep has been linked to a variety of cancers- breast, colon, ovaries, prostate and others.

Dementia Research done at Harvard Medical School following 2,800 study subjects over the age of 65 found that people who sleep only  five hours per night or less were twice as likley to develop dementia when compared to people who slept six to eight hours per night.

Injury Occurrence. In older people particularly, sleep deficiency is associated with a higher risk of falls resulting in broken bones, and head injuries which can be fatal.  At any age sport related injuries and driving accidents and thus fatalities may occur when sleep deprivation impairs day to day functioning.

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder diagnosed when a sleeping person’s breathing is interrupted repeatedly during sleep,and characterized by loud snoring and episodes of stopping breathing. The definitive diagnosis can be made by a sleep study where a person is observed in a testing facility set up to monitor sleeping persons on site, measuring episodes of sleeplessness and its effects.

Sllep apnea is associated with an increased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke. Any of the the other problematic effects of generally poor sleep, will also be shown to occur in those diagnosed with sleep apnea.

There are many biologic clocks located in the brain and body that keep us functioning optimally. Circadian rhythms are physical, mental, and behavioral elements that follow a twenty four hour cycle. The processes involved are a natural response to light and dark seen in humans and animals . Chronobiology is the study of circadian rhythms. In modern society there are demands that involve exposure to light at night and working schedules that are contrary to the natural sleep waking cycles that humans lived with throughout the millenium. Exposure to light at night on a chronic basis may depress melatonin levels and may be associated with cancer development.

When a person’s circadian rhythm is disrupted on a chronic baiss the IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) has reported that the likelihood of developing lung cancer, intestinal cancer, and breast cancer may be dramatically increased. Health consequences of circadian disruption include mental health effects-mood disorders, learning and memory deficits. Obesity, metabolic syndrome and diabetes are also seen with circadian rhythm disruption.  Aging of the mind and body and decreased longevity have been consequences that studies have shown as well.

In summary, restorative sleep is an important part of maintaining a person’s health throughout life, and sleeping well needs to be a part of any good plan for optimal health and well being.