Sleeping fewer than that many hours a night is linked to various health issues

Sleep is incredibly important, with medical professionals recommending a minimum of seven hours a night. Now a new study says that sleeping less than five hours a night can lead to various health problems, including cancer, heart disease, depression and more.

The study, published in the journal PLOS Medicine, used data from more than 8,000 people in the UK with no known chronic diseases. Participants reported their sleeping habits every four to five years along with some clinical investigations over a 25-year period. The results showed that the older people were and the less they slept, the worse the prognosis.

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Participants over the age of 50 who slept less than five hours a night had a 30 percent risk of developing chronic diseases. These numbers increased with age. For example, participants at 60 who slept less than five hours had a 32% risk, while at 70 they had a 40% risk.

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Chronic diseases are diverse, ranging from arthritis to cancer. All of this became more likely when people slept less than they should.

The researchers shared some of the study’s limitations, including the fact that most of the participants were white males and that all were civil servants, meaning they had a higher likelihood of being healthier than the general population. Added to this was the fact that the research was based on self-reported data, which is believed to be less reliable than if participants were monitored and tracked over the years.

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Getting enough sleep is known to help people in a variety of ways, from controlling their weight to improving the health of their skin. It’s a process that’s good for mental and physical health and affects us in ways that are almost incomprehensible. While we do it every day, sleep is often sidelined as people prioritize other aspects of their lives.

Still, more and more studies are coming out, helping us to understand how important sleep is and why people of all ages should prioritize it.