Sleep deprivation not only impairs people’s work performance, but also puts them at increased risk of health problems. New research suggests a direct link between sleep duration and lifespan.

Workplace fatigue has been recognized as a major cause of accidents, indirectly causing injuries and even death. However, new research published this month in the journal SLEEP provides evidence of a direct link between sleep duration and an increased chance of dying prematurely.

Researchers at the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom and the Federico II University Medical School in Italy found that people who consistently sleep for fewer than six hours each night are 12 percent more likely to die prematurely than those who get the recommended six to eight hours.

The research is based on analysis of a quarter century of data collected from 1.3 million people on multiple continents. In total, more than 100,000 deaths were recorded during the observation period.

In the National Sleep Foundation’s (NSF) 2010 Sleep in America Poll, about four in 10 respondents of each of four ethnic groups surveyed — Asians, blacks, Hispanics and whites — said they get a good night’s sleep every night or almost every night.

When comparing the hours of sleep respondents said they need to the hours of sleep they actually get on workdays or weekdays, roughly one-third overall are not getting enough sleep, while about six in 10 are meeting their sleep needs to function at their best, the NSF found. About one-fourth of all respondents said their current work schedule does not allow them to get enough sleep.

“Although there are no absolutes in terms of hours of sleep required for a restful night’s sleep, it is generally accepted that most adults require between seven and eight hours,” Morefocus Media’s SleepDeprivation.com says of findings of a separate survey. “According to 79 percent of the respondents to this survey, they felt they required eight or more hours per night to feel fully rested.”

In the latter survey, of 4,000 people, 65 percent said the No. 1 factor affecting sleep is stress, followed by 53 percent reporting that work or school were the primary obstacles to a full night’s rest.

“Modern society has seen a gradual reduction in the average amount of sleep people [get], 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, who led the University of Warwick/Federico II University Medical School team, said in a statement.

Whatever the reason, sleep deprivation not only impairs people’s work performance, but also increases their risk of health problems.

However, the authors of the SLEEP study also determined that “the deterioration of our health status is often accompanied by an extension of our sleeping time.”

Oversleeping itself is not seen as a risk, but as a potential indicator of underlying ailments.

“Whilst short sleep may represent a cause of ill health, long sleep is believed to represent more an indicator of ill-health,” according to Cappuccio, who is the leader of the Sleep, Health and Society Programme at the University of Warwick.

The study concluded that that those who consistently sleep more than nine hours a night may be more likely to die early.

“Consistently sleeping six to eight hours per night may be optimal for health,” Cappuccio said. “The duration of sleep should be regarded as an additional behavioural risk factor, or risk marker, influenced by the environment and possibly amenable to change through both education and counselling as well as through measures of public health aimed at favourable modifications of the physical and working environments.”

Adhering to a seven-hour-a-day sleep schedule may be challenging for today’s employees, whose jobs require additional working hours under mounting social pressure — never mind the possibility of oversleeping.

To achieve better sleep patterns and the benefits they provide, consider the NSF’s following 10 healthy sleep tips:

1. Maintain a regular bedtime and waketime schedule, including on weekends.
2. Establish a regular, relaxing bedtime routine such as taking a warm bath or reading a book.
3. Create a sleep-conducive environment that is dark, quiet, comfortable and cool.
4. Sleep on a supportive mattress and comfortable pillows.
5. Use your bedroom only for sleep and sex to strengthen the association between bed and sleep.
6. Finish eating at least two to three hours before your regular bedtime.
7. Exercise regularly, but complete your workout at least a few hours before bedtime.
8. Avoid caffeine, such as coffee, tea, soft drinks and chocolate, close to bedtime.
9. Avoid nicotine, found in cigarettes and other tobacco products, as it is a stimulant like caffeine.
10. Avoid alcohol, which disrupts sleep by causing nighttime awakenings.

Working these habits into your day may help you eventually achieve Cappuccio’s recommended six to eight hours.

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Resources

Sleep Duration and All-Cause Mortality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Studies
by Francesco P. Cappuccio, Lanfranco D’Elia, Pasquale Strazzullo and Michelle A. Miller
Journal SLEEP, Vol. 33, Is. 5 (May 1, 2010)

Short Sleep Increases Risk of Death and Over Long Sleep Can Indicate Serious Illness
University of Warwick, May 4, 2010 (last revised)

2010 Sleep in America Poll: Sleep and Ethnicity
The National Sleep Foundation, March 8, 2010

Sleep Deprivation Survey
SleepDeprivation.com (Morefocus Media)

Healthy Sleep Tips
The National Sleep Foundation