Study: Lack of sleep linked to early death

SUPPLEMENTAL KNOWLEDGE
Jhunie B. Wahayna

According to study conducted by Francesco Cappuccio, head of Sleep, Health and Society Programme at the University of Warwick, United Kingdom - People who get less than six hours sleep per night have an increased risk of dying prematurely. Those who slumbered for less than that amount of time were 12 percent more likely to die early. If you sleep little, you can develop diabetes, obesity, hypertension and high cholesterol.

The study conducted with the Federico II University in Naples, Italy, aggregated a decade long studies from around the world involving more than 1.3 million people and found "unequivocal evidence of the direct link" between lack of sleep and premature death.

Cappuccio believes the duration of sleep is a public health issue and should be considered as a behavioral risk factor. Sleeping less than six hours is more common among full time shift workers.

The study also found a link between sleeping more than nine hours per night and premature death. Oversleeping is more likely to be an effect of illness, rather than a cause. Researched shows that there no adverse effects for those sleeping between six to eight hours per day. This finding was published in the Sleep Journal.

If you have sleep problems, here are some tips to improve your sleep habit. Sleep hygiene is one of the components of behavioral therapy for insomnia. Several simple steps can be taken to improve a patient's sleep quality and quantity. These steps include: Sleep as much as you need to feel rested, do not oversleep. Exercise regularly at least 20 minutes daily, ideally 4-5 hours before bedtime. Avoid forcing yourself to sleep.

Keep a regular sleep and awakening schedule. Do not drink caffeinated beverages before going to bed (tea, coffee, soft drinks etc.). Avoid "night caps" (alcoholic drinks prior to going to bed). Do not smoke especially in the evening. Do not go to bed hungry. Adjust the environment in the room (lights, temperature, noise, etc.). Do not go to bed with your worries; try to resolve them before going to bed.

Relaxation therapy involves measures such as meditation and muscle relaxation or dimming the lights and playing soothing music prior to going to bed.

Stimulus control therapy also consists of a few simple steps that may help patients with chronic insomnia. Go to bed when you feel sleepy. Do not watch TV, read, eat, or worry in bed. Your bed should be used only for sleep and sexual activity. If you do not fall asleep 30 minutes after going to bed, get up and go to another room and resume your relaxation techniques. Set your alarm clock to get up at a certain time each morning, even on weekends. Do not oversleep. Avoid taking long naps in the daytime.

Restricting your time in bed to sleep may improve quality of sleep. This therapy is called sleep restriction. It is achieved by averaging the time in bed that the patient spends sleeping. Rigid bedtime and rise time are set, and patient is forced to get up even if they feel sleepy. This may help the patient sleep better the next night because of sleep deprivation for the previous night. Sleep restriction has been helpful in some cases.

Other simple measures that can be helpful to treat insomnia are as follows: Avoid large meals and excessive fluids before bedtime. Control your environment- light, noise, and elevated room temperature can disrupt sleep. Avoid stressful tasks before going to bed may be beneficial. Avoid doing work in the bedroom that should be done somewhere else. For example, do not work or operate your business out of your bedroom, avoid watching TV, reading books, and eating in your bed. Likewise, manage your stress level by not thinking too much of your problems before going to bed will help a lot. Email jhuniewahayna@yahoo.com for comments.