Career, Work, and Health (3)

We all enjoy our daily work and some may be even addicted to work.  But, do remember to take enough sleep to live a longer and healthier life.

• Enjoy Good Night Sleep and Live Longer

Below are some highlights from the article.

Sleep—The Most Important Predictor of How long You'll Live

There is strong evidence supporting the argument that the amount of time you sleep—even more than whether you smoke, exercise, or have high blood pressure or cholesterol levels—could be the most important predictor of how long you'll live.

On average, adults need 7-9 hours of sleep to stay healthy every night. Those who slept 5 hours or less a night had a 15% greater mortality risk compared with those sleeping 7 hours. While not getting enough sleep is clearly associated with increased health risks, so is getting too much sleep. Those who slept 9 hours had a 42% increase in mortality risk.

Too Little Sleep May Fuel Insulin Resistance

• Sleep deficiency results in a higher than normal blood sugar level, which may increase your risk for diabetes.
• After four nights of sleep deprivation (sleep time was only 4.5 hours per night), study participants' insulin sensitivity was 16 percent lower, while their fat cells' insulin sensitivity was 30 percent lower, and rivaled levels seen in those with diabetes or obesity.
• Researchers at the University of Chicago found that losing just 3 to 4 hours of sleep over a period of several days is enough to trigger metabolic changes that are consistent with a prediabetic state.

See Also

• Other Travel and Health articles