Stave off Sleep Mistakes That Lead to Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes

Getting enough sleep is absolutely vital to preserving the health of the body. Considering how much stress is put upon the body on a daily basis, it is no miracle that sleep is one of the only ways for the body to recuperate and repair. What is little known about sleep, however, is the appropriate amount of hours that one should be sleeping. Sleeping for seven hours has been found to be the "magic number" for sleep, warding off heart disease and thousands of other health conditions.

A circadian rhythm is the 24-hour cycle of biochemical processes in living entities. When the circadian rhythm of a human is thrown off, it may lead to conditions such as diabetes. Staying up past 2 am will throw off the body`s circadian rhythm and will result in poor sleep quality. Artificial light also acts in disrupting the body`s natural circadian rhythm. Sunlight restarts the body`s circadian rhythm, but the body cannot fully differentiate between artificial and organic light sources. This means that artificial light in the middle of the night can throw off the body`s circadian rhythm, in addition to ceasing melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) production.

Melatonin helps to fight against cancer and regulate the body in other ways. Artificial lights are an integral part of daily life and extremely convenient, and it would be ridiculous to suggest avoiding them altogether. Alternatively however, one can maintain a proper circadian rhythm by going to sleep before 12 AM nightly.

A study conducted by The Sleep Council found that only 30% of teenagers age 12 to 16 were getting four to seven hours of sleep per night. This study included 1,000 teens, with 25% admitting to the listening of music or watching television before bed. The use of such devices before bed often attributes to the lack of overall sleep and even to sleep quality. This is an indicator that millions around the world are not getting proper amounts of sleep.

But how much is enough? Most sleep professionals consider 8 hours to be the "golden number" when it comes to hours of sleep per night, but new research suggests that the amount of hours you should be getting every night is 7.

The study found that sleeping fewer than 5 hours a night, including naps, doubles the risk of cardiovascular disease. In contrast, sleeping more than 7 hours may also increase the risk of such conditions. Those who slept for 9 hours or more were even more susceptible to disease, becoming 1 and a half times more likely to develop cardiovascular disease than those who slept for 7 hours.

This study offers groundbreaking insight not only on how long to sleep, but also on the detrimental effects of too little or too much sleep. Try and avoid electronics before bed, go to sleep before 12 AM, and get around 7 hours of sleep per day.

source: naturalnews