Sleep Plays Important Role in Chronic Disease

Too much or too little sleep may increase your risk of developing chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease, research shows. The study was released online in Social Science & Medicine.

"Seven to eight hours of sleep each night appears to be the ideal amount to maximize health benefits and minimize cardiometabolic disease risks," co-lead author Orfeu Buxton, PhD, a researcher in the sleep medicine division at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, said in a joint news release.

Buxton and colleagues analyzed data from 56,507 American adults who took part in the National Health Interview Survey and found that, compared with sleeping between seven and eight hours a night, sleeping less than six hours and more than nine hours was associated with increased risk for chronic conditions, including obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure.

Source: Brigham and Women's Hospital