New Study Sheds Light on Importance of Sleep

How many hours of shut-eye do you get in a typical night? More than half of the United States adult population suffers from some type of sleep and/or wakefulness disorder, one of the most common being insomnia. It's frustrating when you can't fall asleep when you want to. Perhaps you lie in bed staring at the alarm clock for hours on end, or maybe you simply watch TV. Regardless, sleep is an important element in maintaining good health. A recent study has even found a direct link between lack of sleep and increased blood-glucose levels.

Researchers from the University of North Texas' Insomnia Research laboratory conducted a study in which they analyzed the blood-glucose levels of 146 student, all of whom were asked to keep sleep activity logs. Researchers discovered that students who slept fewer hours had higher blood-glucose levels than students who slept the recommended amount of time.

Of course, elevated blood-glucose levels has been linked to a wide range of adverse health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and more.

It's important to note, however, that sleeping too long can be just as bad sleeping too little. As noted by one of the study's authors, too much sleep, known medically as hypersomnia, is just as bad as insomnia.

"Many people who have depression or other emotional disorders have also reported having problems with their sleep,” said Bella Scott, one of the study's lead researchers and authors. "Sleeping a long time, like nine to ten hours or more, is just as bad as sleeping too little, and is a condition called hypersomnia,” Scott said. “That’s just as bad for you as insomnia.”

So, how much sleep should you get at night to maintain healthy blood-glucose levels and without putting yourself at risk for disease and illness? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), seven to eight hours is the recommended amount of sleep for adults.

The bottom line is that we need to be more conscious of how much sleep we get at night. Aside from leaving you fatigued and groggy the following morning, lack of sleep can have a very real impact on your health, raising blood-glucose levels and putting you at risk for disease and illness.