People who can get by on four hours of sleep sometimes brag about

their strength and endurance. But recent scientific studies show that a
lack of sleep causes many significant changes in the body and
increases your risk for serious health concerns such as obesity, disease,
and even early death.

Sleep is an important function for many reasons. When you sleep, your
brain signals your body to release hormones and compounds that help:

decrease risk for health conditions

manage your hunger levels
maintain your immune system
retain memory

But you cant catch up or make up loss of sleep. In fact, consistently

sleeping more than six to eight hours a night can negatively impact
your health. Read on to learn why seven to eight hours of sleep a night
is ideal.

LIVE LONGER

Seven to eight hours for longevity

The healthy amount of sleep for the average adult is around seven to
eight hours each night.

Researchers in the United Kingdom and Italy analyzed data from 16

separate studies conducted over 25 years, covering more than 1.3
million people and more than 100,000 deaths. They published their
findings in the journal Sleep. Those who generally slept for less than six
hours a night were 12 percent more likely to experience a premature
death. People who slept more than eight to nine hours per night had
an even higher risk, at 30 percent.

Researchers also found that people who reduced their sleep time from
seven hours to five hours or less had 1.7 times the risk of death from all
causes.

WEIGHT LOSS
Sleep helps manage your appetite
Poor sleep habits can increase the bodys energy needs. At night,
movement and need for calories is reduced. But when you are sleep-
deprived, your brain will release chemicals to signal hunger. This can
lead to eating more, exercising less, and gaining weight.

Researchers conducting a study of almost 5,000 Japanese adults with

type 2 diabetes found that those who slept fewer than 4.5 hours or
more than 8.5 hours had a higher body mass index (BMI) and higher
A1C values. An A1C is a measurement of a persons average blood
sugar levels over the course of three months. Those who slept between
6.5 and 7.4 hours a night had the lowest A1C levels of all the
participants.

Sleep deprivation also affects children. A 2014 study showed that

children who slept less had an increased risk for obesity and high BMI.
These risks can affect children as they mature.

IMMUNE SYSTEM

Sleep helps your immune system function

When you sleep, your immune system releases compounds called
cytokines. Some cytokines have a protective effect on your immune
system by helping to fight inflammation and infection. Without enough
sleep, you may not have enough cytokines to keep from getting sick.

A 2013 research study found that sleep restrictions increase the

amount of inflammatory compounds in a persons body. These are the
same compounds associated with conditions like asthma and allergies.

The researchers studied people who had long-term sleep deprivation

as well as limited sleep deprivation of four to five hours a night for a
week. In both cases, the researchers found that the participants
immune systems were affected by lack of sleep.

BETTER MEMORY

Sleep helps your memory

In addition to helping you focus, sleep helps protect and strengthen
your memory. Research shows that sleeping after learning can help
with memory retention. It also reduces interference from external
events.

People who are sleep-deprived:

have a harder time receiving information due to the brains

overworked neurons
may interpret events differently
tend to have impaired judgement
lose their ability to access previous information

Its important to get seven to eight hours of sleep so that you can
experience all the sleep stages. No one stage is responsible for
memory and learning. Two stages (rapid eye movement and slow wave
sleep) contribute to:

creative thinking
procedural memory
long-term memories
memory processing

Read more about the benefits of sleep

RISKS OF NO SLEEP

Lack of sleep increases disease risk

Lack of sleep is a public health problem, according to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Its known to be a contributing
factor for many chronic health conditions, including:

diabetes
heart disease
obesity
obstructive sleep apnea

Sleep is a habit, just like eating healthy and exercise. While everyone
misses a few hours of sleep sometimes, chronic lack of sleep is part of
an unhealthy lifestyle and can increase your risk for serious health
concerns.

16 effects of sleep deprivation on the body

Having a poor work-life balance, stress, and worry can all affect how
much and how well a person sleeps. These kinds of stressors can lead
to further inflammation and health problems in addition to lack of
sleep.

GET MORE SLEEP

How to get more sleep

The recommended seven to eight hours of sleep is mainly for adults,
including older adults. Younger people may need more sleep. See the
table below for the recommended amount of sleep by age.

Age Recommended hours of sleep per day

Infants 16-18 hours

Preschoolers 11-12 hours

Elementary at least 10 hours

Teens 9-10 hours

Adults (including seniors) 7-8 hours

Building good sleep habits

Are you among the many people getting fewer than seven hours of
sleep per night? Try adopting some of these practices to help you
sleep better and longer:
Schedule your sleep: Make an effort to go to bed and wake up at the
same time every day of the week, including weekends. Doing this
establishes a regular sleep-wake cycle. It may help you adopt the habit
of doing the same things each night before bed, such as taking a warm
bath or reading.

Avoid stimulants: Caffeine, chocolate, and nicotine can keep you

awake past your bedtime. Alcohol may make you feel sleepy initially,
but will disrupt your rest later in the night. Stay away from these at
least four hours before sleep.

Make your bed comfy: A number of new mattresses on the market

are aimed at increasing comfort, including those that have cooling
effects to keep a person from getting too warm while they sleep.
Memory foam mattresses conform to a persons body, providing extra
shape and support. Use room darkening shades, earplugs, or other
tools that will help create a restful environment.

Exercise regularly: Being physically active during the day can help you
fall asleep faster at night. Exercise also promotes deeper, more restful
sleep. Just make sure you don't exercise too close to bedtime, since
this can leave you too energized to sleep.

Relieve stress during the day: Try adopting some stress-reducing

technique before bed. Keep a journal by your bedside to write down
what's bothering you. Start practicing yoga, learn to meditate, get
regular massages, or take long walks.

Apps for sleep: Some apps can help you sleep better. Sleep
Genius tracks your sleep cycles and offers a progressive alarm clock to
prevent sudden waking thats associated with increased tiredness.
Other apps, like pzizz, provide soft music and ambient lighting used to
encourage restful sleep.

Read more about improving your sleep

TAKEAWAY

Takeaway
Research shows that consistently getting seven to eight hours of sleep
per night is beneficial. Any more or less can increase your risk for
serious conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and even death.

Getting enough quality sleep is also key to a healthy lifestyle. Sleep

boosts your immune system, manages weight loss, and retains
memory. Whether its setting an alarm or getting a new mattress, you
can take simple steps to help you get seven to eight hours. Its never
too late to practice good sleep hygiene.