We all know that a lack of sleep can make you feel drained and foggy the next day. But international scientists believe too much or too little sleep may kill you, and the effect is much more pronounced in people with type 2 diabetes.
The scientists looked at data from 273,029 adults, including 24,212 type 2 diabetics. Among non-diabetics, those who slept 10 hours or more were almost twice as likely to die prematurely as people who slept for seven hours. And people who slept five hours or less were also more likely to die, although the effect was less dramatic.
Among type 2 diabetics, those slept 10 hours or more every night were more than twice as likely to die prematurely than diabetics who slept seven hours, while those who slept for five hours or less were also more likely to die, although again the effect was less dramatic. Their latest findings are published in the medical journal Diabetologia.
“For people with [type 2 diabetes, as per the general population, six to eight hours of sleep is recommended on account of reducing mortality risk,” the authors said. “Sleep interventions as an addition to standard diabetes treatment may warrant further attention.
“This study provides preliminary evidence that the associations between sleep duration and mortality are different between people with and without diabetes. Patients with diabetes sleeping for less than or in excess of seven hours had an increased risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality, while too much or too little sleep also increased absolute death rates in people without diabetes, but to a lesser extent. The association was more prominent in those with younger age at disease onset. These patients may require greater medical attention that targets sleep and lifestyle to reduce the risks of adverse health outcomes.”
A lack of sleep can contribute to a long list of health problems such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, early ageing and even Alzheimer’s disease.
It comes just a few weeks after another study found poor sleep may increase your risk of stroke.
So, how many hours of sleep do we really need? Most adults aged 26 to 64 years need about seven to nine hours of sleep per night, while those aged 65 or older need seven to eight hours of sleep per night to feel rested and alert.