- ALLERGY, RESPIRATORY
- Obesity May Raise Kids' Allergy Risk
- New Spray Could Benefit Cystic Fibrosis Patients
- Childhood Food Allergies on the Rise
- ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
- Licorice May Block Absorption of Organ Transplant Drug
- Insight on Herbals Eludes Doctors, Patients Alike
- Imaging Sheds Light on How Acupuncture Works
- ANIMAL CARE
- Separation Anxiety, Canine-Style
- Beware of Dog Bites
- 'Comfort Dogs' Come to Emotional Rescue
- BONES & JOINTS
- A Winning Strategy to Beat Spring Sporting Injuries
- Rheumatoid Arthritis Rising Among U.S. Women
- Fruits and Veggies May Strengthen Bones
- CANCER
- Immune Therapy May Aid Kids With Neuroblastoma
- Selenium, Omega-3s May Stave Off Colorectal Cancer
- Scams and Shams That Prey on Cancer Patients
- CAREGIVING
- Injected Medication Errors a Major Problem
- New Guidelines for Treating Heart Failure
- Tainted China Formula Caused High Rate of Kidney Stones in Kids
- CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
- Grapefruit-Heavy Diet Helped Spur Dangerous Clot
- Support Network May Play Role in Benefits of Drinking
- Potassium-Rich Foods May Cut Stroke, Heart Disease Risk
- COSMETIC
- Health Tip: After Liposuction
- Study Evaluates Laser Therapies for Hair Removal
- New Genetic Links to Baldness Discovered
- DENTAL, ORAL
- Biological Product Shows Promise Against Gum Disease
- Toothbrushing May Stave Off Heart Woes
- Rheumatoid Arthritis May Harm Gums
- DIABETES
- Spices, Herbs Boost Health for Diabetics
- Coffee, Tea Might Stave Off Diabetes
- Lifestyle Factors Tied to Older Adults' Diabetes Risk
- DIET, NUTRITION
- Common Antioxidant Might Slow Parkinson's
- Successful Weight Loss Shows Unique Brain Patterns
- Mediterranean Diet Plus Exercise Lowers Alzheimer's Risk
- DISABILITIES
- Review Finds Marijuana May Help MS Patients
- Could Your Cell Phone Help Shield You From Alzheimer's?
- ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
- Artificial Light Linked to Prostate Cancer Risk
- Gene Mutation May Cause Some Cases of Seasonal Affective Disorder
- Old-Growth Forests Dying Off in U.S. West
- EYE CARE, VISION
- Autistic Children Make Limited Eye Contact
- Antioxidant-Rich Diet May Protect Against Eye Disease
- Glaucoma Treatment Can Prevent Blindness
- FITNESS
- Yoga Can Ease Lower Back Pain
- Simple Exercise Precautions To Help Keep Baby Boomers Fit
- Vigorous Exercise Can Cut Breast Cancer Risk
- GASTROINTESTINAL PROBLEMS
- Traditional Nonsurgical GERD Treatments Not Impressive
- Japanese Herbals May Ease Gastro Woes
- Peppermint Oil, Fiber Can Fight Irritable Bowel
- GENERAL HEALTH
- Potassium-Rich Foods May Cut Stroke, Heart Disease Risk
- Poor Restroom Cleaning Causes Cruise-Ship Sickness
- Surgical Masks Could Prevent Flu, Maybe
- HEAD & NECK
- Ski Helmets Encouraged for All
- Many Children Will Outgrow Headaches
- Zen May Thicken Brain, Thwart Pain
- HEALTH & TECHNOLOGY
- Airport Full Body Scanners Pose No Health Threat: Experts
- Using Light Therapy to Silence Harmful Brain Activity
- 'Cell Phone Elbow' -- A New Ill for the Wired Age
- HEART & CARDIOVASCULAR
- Boosting Vitamin D Can Do a Heart Good
- Estrogen May Help Men's Hearts
- More Steps a Day Lead to Better Health
- INFECTIOUS DISEASE
- The HPV Vaccine: Preventative Medicine or Human Sacrifice?
- Viral Infection Might Trigger High Blood Pressure
- Surgical Masks Could Prevent Flu, Maybe
- KID'S HEALTH
- Meaningful Conversations Boost Kids' Language Skills
- When It Comes to Toys, Shop Smart, Shop Safe
- Breast-Feeding May Protect a Woman's Heart
- MEN'S HEALTH
- Varicose Veins May Mask Larger Problem
- Low Iron Levels Cut Cancer Risk in Men With PAD
- Exercise May Prevent Prostate Cancer: Study Shows
- MENTAL HEALTH
- A Simple 'Thank You' Brings Rewards to All
- How to Attack Holiday Stress Head-On
- Optimism May Boost Immune System
- PAIN
- Tai Chi May Help Ease Fibromyalgia
- 'Cell Phone Elbow' -- A New Ill for the Wired Age
- Acupuncture, Real or Fake, Eases Back Pain
- PREGNANCY
- Breast-Feeding Benefits Moms and Babies
- Exercise Boosts Bone Density in Breast-Feeding Moms
- Yoga's Benefits Outweigh Risks for Pregnant Women
- SENIORS
- Save Your Aging Brain, Try Surfing The Web
- Fitness Fades Fast After 45
- For a Healthier Retirement, Work a Little
6 to 8 Hours of Shut-Eye Is Optimal for Health
By eholistic.com Published: 05/12/2010
People who sleep less than six hours a night are 12 percent more likely to die prematurely than those who get the recommended six to eight hours of slumber, a new study has found.
The team of British and Italian researchers also found that sleeping too much -- more than nine hours a night -- doesn't increase the risk for death but might be an important sign of a serious or potentially fatal illness.
The researchers reviewed 16 studies that included more than 1.3 million people who were followed for up to 25 years. In that time, more than 100,000 deaths were recorded among the participants, who were from Asia, Europe and the United States.
The findings provide unequivocal evidence of the direct link between insufficient sleep and increased risk of premature death, said the authors of the study, which is published in the May issue of Sleep.
"Modern society has seen a gradual reduction in the average amount of sleep people take, and this pattern is more common amongst full-time workers, suggesting that it may be due to societal pressures for longer working hours and more shift-work," Francesco Cappuccio, leader of the Sleep, Health and Society Program at the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom, said in a university news release. "On the other hand, the deterioration of our health status is often accompanied by an extension of our sleeping time."
"Consistently sleeping six to eight hours per night may be optimal for health," he added. "The duration of sleep should be regarded as an additional behavioral risk factor, or risk marker, influenced by the environment and possibly amenable to change through both education and counseling as well as through measures of public health aimed at favorable modifications of the physical and working environments."
SOURCES: University of Warwick, news release, May 4, 2010 Published on: May 10, 2010
