How sleep can save your life

[xchrom]

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/how-sleep-can-save-your-life-2365095.html

Sleeping well is vital for physical, mental and emotional health. But there has been a gradual reduction in the average amount of sleep people take, with research showing that at any one time, one person in five feels unusually tired and one in ten has prolonged fatigue.

"Sleep is nature's way of providing us with rest, recovery and energy. There is nothing else that does the same thing," says Professor Colin Espie, director of Glasgow University's sleep centre. "But too many of us treat sleep like a commodity. We disrespect it – even treat it as a nuisance that gets in the way of waking hours." Others are victims of sleep conditions such as insomnia. Having a good night's sleep has never been more important.

Heart benefits

If you sleep less than six hours a night and have disturbed sleep, you stand a 48 per cent greater chance of developing or dying from heart disease and a 15 per cent greater chance of developing or dying from a stroke, according to a study from the University of Warwick. "The trend for late nights and early mornings is actually a ticking time bomb for our health, so you need to act now to reduce your risk of developing these life-threatening conditions," says co-author Professor Francesco Cappuccio.

Men over 65 who spend little time in deep sleep are at particularly high risk of developing high blood pressure, according to new research from Harvard Medical School. The study of 784 patients, published in the journal Hypertension, found that those getting the least deep sleep were at 83 per cent greater risk than those getting the most. High blood pressure increases the risk of heart attack, stroke and other health problems.

[canoeist52]

1. Mic Check! If you snore, get tested for sleep apnea!

This can save your life.

[Lochloosa]

3. It DID save mine. I second this recommendation.

[closeupready]

2. Rest is also one of the best beauty secrets.

A/K/A the disco nap. K&R

[HuckleB]

4. Recommend.

[Jim Lane]

5. I'm still awake, well after 2am, because I'm still reading DU...

including this post about the value of sleep.

Sometimes I think we should petition the admins to take the whole site down for eight hours every day.

[closeupready]

6. LOL, ain't that the truth.

:rofl: :hi:

[SheilaT]

7. I've been telling people for forty years or more

that getting enough sleep is one of the most important things you can do. I'm inclined to attribute my amazing good health and relative youthful good looks :) to having gotten lots of sleep when I was in my 20's.

I REALLY get frustrated by those who think you can actually get too much sleep (other than if you have some kind of sleep disorder) and will back up that claim by mentioning some time recently when they got more sleep than usual and woke up groggy, or stayed sleepy all day. In reality, that's an indication that they probably were awakened at a bad point in their sleep cycle, and they stayed sleepy because they're STILL sleep deprived.

In reality, once you're sufficiently rested, you'll wake up. And not go back to sleep.

I've read any number of books on sleep over the years, and they all say the same thing in the end.

[NickB79]

8. I work the night shift and take care of my 18-mo. old daughter. I'm as good as dead

For the past 18 months, I've been working 9pm-5am, sleeping 3-4 hr until my wife gets up to go to her job in the morning, and then taking care of our daughter for the day. I'll then take another 2 hr nap in the late afternoon before work and then chug coffee and energy drinks all night long. I've lost about 15 lb so far, and constantly feel sick now. Daycare is out of the question due to the cost, and we have no family within 30 miles of us.

It's so bad, I'm actually EXCITED that my mother-in-law is moving in with us to help out :-)

[Renews]

9. way to sleep

the only healthy way to sleep is to have a regular sleep schedule. that's when ur body will feel most healthy and rested.
If you do not get enough sleep, your immune system can suffer. During sleep, your body takes the time to repair itself, if you don't allow for enough time in REM sleep, or rapid eye movement sleep, which is the most restful sleep and the time when most repair is done, you're setting yourself up to be susceptible to colds, flus, and other illnesses.

[CBHagman]

10. Except when insomnia kicks in...

...and there can be multiple reasons for insomnia.