So if you routinely find yourself sleep deprived because you really need eight hours but only get five... or if you're someone who likes to lie between the sheets for nine or 10 hours when your body is fine with just seven hours of sleep, then you may be setting yourself up for an early death.
Sorry to sound so dramatic.
The study actually discovered:
Why the difference? Well,
sleeping less-than-necessary may cause ill-health, whereas being a long sleeper (sleeping more than is biologically necessary) is believed to represent more an indicator of ill-health.
Short sleepers' poor sleep habits could be the chief culprit for triggering their medical conditions. Though sleep deprivation has been linked to a smorgasbord of medical ailments, from heart disease to obesity, the same cannot be said for sleeping too much.
Longer sleepers' time between the sheets may indicate that something else is wrong, fueling their need to catch those excess zzz's. Consistently sleeping nine or more hours (in adults) is a wake-up call for longer sleepers to see a doctor and find out if something other than a biological need for sleep is keeping them in bed.
Few people have the problem
of banking too much sleep. It's the other end of the spectrum--sleeping too little--that drives a huge epidemic of so many of the sleep disorders in this country.
Unfortunately, the threat of a shorter life for being a short sleeper isn't a strong enough threat to get people to change their habits. If it were, then we'd see the same pressure to change habits among overweight people who live with a higher risk of illness and premature death due to their weight. Most habits are hard to break or change.
But I have to say, it's likely much easier to change a bad sleep habit than to change a bad eating habit. Don't you think?
Bottom line: find the happy medium between the short and long end of the sleep spectrum. Find your sweet spot for sleep.
Moderation is key. Moderation is magic. After all, if there's one time you want to go long, it's life.
Sweet Dreams,
Michael J. Breus, PhD
The Sleep Doctor™
www.thesleepdoctor.com
This article on sleep deprivation is also available at Dr. Breus's official blog, The Insomnia Blog: by Sleep Doctor Michael Breus, PhD.
Follow Dr. Michael J. Breus on Twitter: www.twitter.com/thesleepdoctor
Dr. Michael J. Breus: Drowsy Driving: Don't Find Yourself Doing It This Holiday Season
Dr. Michael J. Breus: Reboot Your Brain and Get Smarter With a Midday Nap
Best wishes and please get a second or third opinion. You have the right to a quality of life!
My sleep patterns vary, I can be nocturnal when I'm writing...or be an early riser when I'm filming. Or be a slug in Hawaii..
.Dr. Breus thank you for the food-thought for sleep. Pray tell, what state of sleep is considered to be the most beneficial? And, if we're having nightmares running our tail off from a monster, is that healthy sleep? A psyche doc would say you're working out your aggressions, or fears- a good thing. Yet, you wake- up exhausted feeling like you put in 7 hours of heavy labor. Oh well... I have an early wake-up call...time to say, nighty night.
Sweet dreams,Merrie Lynn
is the key word
as is slowly being proven
much of yogism
while a nice thought
is turning out to be bunk
there is even a famous indian scientist with his own tv show in india
and all he does is debunk silly spiritual garbage
of course meditation is good
so is reducing stress
and many other practical things taught by yogis and such
but those things like don't have to sleep
can survive a month without drinking water
or can give you a stroke by just looking at you
are total garbage
of course they are
and lets give some other obvious answers to your question
the state of sleep that is the most beneficial is laying down with your eyes closed in a quiet and dark room
if you are regularly having nightmares, you have other issues to deal with. sleeping the correct hours on their own wont fix them. it is a separate issue from this article
the lack of sleep then CAUSES the ill health. not the other way around.
it can be true in both directions.