Sleeping off on the weekend is a matter of life and death. Scientists tell why
Sleeping off on the weekend is a matter of life and death. Scientists tell why
Anonim

Lack of sleep on weekdays increases the risk of going to the next world ahead of time. But now you know what to do.

Sleeping off on the weekend is a matter of life and death. Scientists tell why
Sleeping off on the weekend is a matter of life and death. Scientists tell why

Those who sleep five hours or less for several days in a row are at increased risk of premature death. However, the negative effect can be prevented by getting enough sleep on weekends, writes The Guardian.

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Thorbjorn Akerstedt sleep doctor from Stockholm University

Sleep duration is important for longevity.

The researchers used data from more than 43,000 participants in medical surveys conducted in Sweden in 1997. Over the next 13 years, scientists monitored the fate of these people, tracking mortality.

Before that, scientists had already evaluated the relationship between sleep and mortality, but only looked at the duration of sleep on weekdays. Ackerstedt decided to analyze the effects of sleep on weekends. The researchers also took into account other factors: gender, body mass index, smoking status, level of physical activity,. It turned out that people under the age of 65 who constantly sleep for five hours or less, the risk of death increases by 52%. However, it does not increase in those who sleep little during the week, but get enough sleep on weekends.

“Sleeping on the weekend is supposed to help make up for sleep deprivation,” says Ackerstedt. However, the study does not provide one hundred percent confirmation of this hypothesis.

Moreover, sleeping too long is not very beneficial either. Subjects who slept eight hours or more all week had an increased risk of death compared to those who slept six to seven hours a day.

Lack of sleep is bad for your body, but getting regular long periods of sleep can signal hidden health problems.

“This is in line with what we already know about sleep,” says neuroscientist Stuart Peirson of the University of Oxford. - Sleep is regulated by the body's internal clock, but it is also influenced by the homeostasis process. That is, the longer you are awake, the more sleep you will need later.

Interestingly, no association was found between sleep patterns and mortality in people over 65. According to Akerstedt, this is because older people sleep as much as they need.

Although the need for sleep is different for each person, the lack of sleep in any case needs to be replenished. If the body is not given rest, life expectancy will be shortened.

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