British Study Shows That Not Sleeping Enough Can Be Deadly
People who lack sleep are more than twice as likely to die of a heart attack. A study released on September 24, 2007 states that the reasons are unclear. What is clear is that people that sleep less than seven hours per night double their chances of dying of a heart attack. [msnbc.msn.com, September 24, 2007]
The Study
The British and U.S. government funded the study. 10,000 government workers were tracked over a 17-year period. People who slept five to seven hours or less had a 1.7-fold increase risk in mortality and more than double cardiovascular risk of death. Francesco Cappaccio, professor of cardiovascular medicine at the University of Warwick’s medical school said, "A third of the population of the U.K. and over 40 percent in the U.S. regularly sleep less than five hours a night, so it is not a trivial problem." [msnbc.msn.com, September 24, 2007]
The Perfect Number of Sleep Hours
Cappaccio states, "In terms of prevention, our findings indicate that consistently sleeping around seven hours per night is optimal for health." [msnbc.msn.com, September 24, 2007]
Teens with Sleep Apnea at Risk
Teens with sleep apnea are 6.5 times more likely to have metabolic syndrome than their peers without the disorder. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of factors lumped into one general term. The syndrome has the following risk factors:
- Type 2 diabetes
- Heart disease and stroke
- Abdominal obesity
- High blood pressure
- Elevated blood sugar
- High triglycerides
- Low levels of HDL cholesterol.
A person with three or more of these symptoms would be diagnosed with metabolic syndrome.
Teenagers are also not getting enough sleep because of electronic gadgets. By the time they do homework, make cell phone calls, answer email, instant message friends, listen to music on iPods and watch television, they generally get 4-5 hours of sleep.
Obesity and Sleep Apnea
Weight has been a contributing factor to sleep apnea. It is now becoming evident that the weight factor may not cause the sleep apnea. The reverse may be true. Dr. Susan Redline of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, stated, "Repeated sleep interruptions and dips in oxygen may raise the body’s levels of stress hormones like cortisol. This, in turn, may lead to elevations in blood sugar and blood pressure, as well as problems with cholesterol metabolism." [msnbc.msn.com, September 5, 2007]
Sleep and Depression
A Norwegian survey (1984-1986 and 1995-1997) of 25,000 people finds that individuals that had trouble sleeping were more likely to be suffering from depression or anxiety disorder. The study did not conclude that a lack of sleep could produce depression. There was evidence that people who had insomnia were more likely to have depression and anxieties. [msnbc.msn.com, July 9, 2007]
Sleep Is Important
Whether sleep deprivation is caused by being too busy, physical reasons or emotional reasons, the lack of sleep is a health risk. If students are not sleeping well, they should see a doctor.
Related articles: Obesity In Schools, How Obese Friends Affect College
Read previous articles on Educational Issues.
Copyright article 2007 Barbara Pytel. All Rights Reserved.
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