Are you a heavy sleeper or a few hours of sleep is enough for you ? According to a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States and published by the medical journal Sleep, sleeping too much or too little is linked to an increased risk of certain chronic diseases.
The researchers gathered data from 54,269 volunteers aged 45 or older who responded to a survey in 2010. Of the participants, about a third were identified as short sleepers (less than six hours per night), more than 64% as optimal sleepers (between 7 and 9 hours per night) and 4.1% as heavy sleepers (more than 10 hours per night).
“Compared to optimal sleep duration, too short and too long sleep durations were significantly associated with obesity, foot-and-mouth disease, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and diabetes,” note the authors in the study results. Sleeping longer does not necessarily mean sleeping well, the researchers remind us, especially for people who already suffer from a chronic disease, often associated with sleeping troubles. Treating these disorders also helps reduce the symptoms of the disease.
“More studies are needed to determine how mental health and maintaining normal weight may interact with sleep duration to prevent chronic disease,” the study authors conclude.
