People who deprive themselves of sleep have a health risk.
Two separate studies have revealed having less than six hours of sleep every-night could double the chances of developing a condition linked to heart disease.
The first study was undertaken by the team at the University of Pittsburg School of Medicine and the second study was carried out by the team at WarwickMedicalSchool in Coventry.
The researchers have found that the lack of sleep raises the risk of metabolic syndrome-a set of syndromes including the high risk of Cholesterol, high blood pressure, a large waist measurement and problems controlling blood sugar. This metabolic syndrome is actually an early warning of diabetes and heart disease and can be counteracted with a healthier life style and drugs.
The first study found that the sleep duration affects symptoms associated with heart disease, in fact it has an impact on the balance of harmones that control appetite and the feeling of fullness after a meal. The study came to the conclusion after investigating the sleep patterns of 1,214 adults between 30-54 years of age. The team found that 29 percent of people who slept less than six hours a night met the criteria for metabolic syndrome, compared to 24 % for those who slept between six and seven hours a night.The risk was lowest in people who had seven to eight hours sleep hours a night.
The second study reviewed 39 studies on the link between obesity and the lack of sleep in a total of 30,000 children and 600,000 adults.In children 7 of the 11 studies showed a consistent association between lack of sleep and obesity while the studies on adults showed a link.
Therefore, before going for any regular check up of our body, we should check up our minimum hours of sleep per day.