Can Sleeping 8 Hours Kill You Faster?
Sleep is important for maintaining healthy body functioning. Without sleep, our bodies would have a difficult time repairing themselves from damage caused during the day. Sleep is also important to the growth of muscles, the health of skin and overall longevity. When people do not have enough sleep, they can have problem with concentration and forming memories.
However did you know that too much sleep, even 8 hours, can actually weaken your sleep system and can have an adverse effect on your health? A Japanese study that involved 104,000 subjects concluded that sleeping shorter or longer than 7 hours was linked to death from any cause.
The study clearly showed that sleeping 7 hours is better than the generally assumed 8 hours. For people who sleep only 5 to 6 hours of sleep on weekdays, there is no significant increase in mortality. Therefore sleeping 7.5 hours has a worse effect than sleeping 6.5.
The ideal sleep should be around 7 hours, although that may vary slightly from person to person.
In server other studies, symptoms of depression has been observed as being common in people who sleep longer or shorter than the ideal period of 6.5 to 7.5 hours.
The body generates a hormone called Melatonin, especially during the early hours of the day. Melatonin impedes the growth of cancers and boosts the immune system. Light stops its production because the body thinks it is daytime. Excess Melatonin generated needs to be disipated quickly. However sleeping too long delays this process leaving you feeling drowsy and drained of energy. This is one of the reasons why bright light therapy is used. Bright light therapy is the use of artificial light to bring down your melatonin levels.
Next time you feel drowsy and energyless, it's not because you got less sleep. It's probably because you got too much. What you need is less and quality sleep. Wake up early, skip that coffee and exercise. This makes fresh oxygen enter your lungs making you feel energetic. Get out in the sun if possible. This will also help you get that much required Vitamin D.
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25-Jan-2011 0:33
25-Jan-2011 0:35