Obesity, diabetes, anxiety, heart disease, accidents, high blood pressure and other health concerns have all been linked to inadequate sleep.
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Effects on the Family
It is critically important to realize that sleep deprivation is very often due to unrecognized sleep disorders. So what may be the physical consequences?
High blood pressure
A ten-year study of more than 4,800 men and women reveals that individuals who are 32 to 59 years-old and get five hours of sleep or less per night are 60 percent more likely to suffer from hypertension.
Stroke & Heart attack
According to the study, even those with mild to moderate respiratory events during sleep had a twofold higher risk of heart failure. The findings from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute-funded Sleep Heart Health Study Research Group also showed that these individuals were at 1.5 times the stroke risk of those with no sleep-related breathing problems.
Obesity
In a study conducted at Columbia University, people who slept five hours per night were 73% more likely to become obese within 3 years than those getting seven to nine nightly hours of sleep. People getting six hours of sleep per night were 27% more likely to become obese than those getting seven to nine hours. Look what a difference just one hour more of quality sleep can make.
Injury from accidents
Patients with moderate to severe sleep apnea perform as poorly as drunk drivers and have up to a 15-fold increased risk of motor vehicle accidents.
Increased mortality
Studies show an increased mortality risk for those reporting less than either six or seven hours per night. One study found that reduced sleep time is a greater mortality risk than smoking, high blood pressure, and heart disease. |