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Prescription for Sleep: More Is Better
Want to lower your risk of heart disease, cancer, obesity, and depression? Go to bed.
"We don't take sleep seriously enough," says Michael J. Sateia, MD, medical director of the Sleep Disorders Service at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H. "It's essential to life. If you disrupt the sleep cycle, you could face grave health repercussions throughout your body."
It's not absolutely clear that sleep loss leads to bad health, but evidence is mounting. Decreased sleep is now associated with dozens of different illnesses and health problems. We live in a chronically overtired society. In this country, half of us aren't getting the seven to eight hours of sleep we need -- and our health may be suffering for it. "Getting enough sleep should be considered just as important as eating a healthy diet and exercising," Sateia says. Who knew that lying around could be so good for you?
Sleep as Rx
While scientists still don't know exactly why we need sleep, we know with certainty that we do need it. "A natural cycle of rest and wakefulness dictates all sorts of biological functions," says Michael Twery, PhD, director of the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research in Bethesda, Md. In other words, start messing with the sleep cycle, and lots of things -- metabolism, hormone levels, and blood pressure -- go out of whack. Sleep loss has been associated with:
Heart disease. Not getting enough sleep may trigger the release of stress hormones and proteins that bump up the risk of heart attacks and strokes. One large study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine in 2003 showed that women who slept less than five hours a night were 45% more likely to have heart problems than women who slept eight hours.
Diabetes. Being sleep-deprived can affect how your body processes blood sugar, and that could raise your risk of diabetes. One 1999 Lancet study of 11 healthy, young men found that after just six days of sleeping for four hours a night, their insulin and blood sugar levels were similar to those of people on the verge of diabetes.
Cancer. Sleeping too little has been linked with an increased risk of breast and colon cancer. Why? Exposure to light at night can decrease levels of the hormone melatonin, which may protect against cancer. Some researchers think shift workers may be more likely to get breast cancer than other women because of their exposure to artificial light at night.
Obesity. Multiple studies show that chronic loss of sleep may increase the risk of obesity. One 2004 study showed that people who sleep five hours a night are 73% more likely to become obese than those who sleep seven to nine hours. Sleep loss may cause the hormones that control appetite to get out of balance.
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