Sleep 7 Hours To Live Longer

Many of us are concerned that our inability to get a good 8 hours of sleep each night may have an adverse effect on our health. Research shows that sleeping 8 hours or more (or 6 hours or less) per night can actually increase your mortality risk.

Time Magazine reported results of a study by Daniel Kripke, a sleep psychologist in California, that found that people who get 6 to 7 hours of sleep live longer, with 7 hours being the ideal. Similar experiments in East Asia and Europe produced similar results, positive reinforcement for anyone who worries about not quite getting in their eight hours.

This risk of shorter life increased an additional 15% for those who slept more than 8.5 hours per night, as well as for those who reported averaging less than 4.5 hours per night.

Taking Steps to Get the Right Amount of Quality Sleep

Make the best use of the time you spend at rest. Your body knows best and making a conscious effort to get the quality sleep you need is vital to your long-term health. Taking control of your overall wellness should include your approach to sleep.

Recommended Reading: Natural Sleep Alternatives To Sleeping Pills

Work Hard in Order to Rest Hard

Intense physical and mental activities require energy, and the expenditure of your body's resources prepares it for rest. A regular schedule of work and exercise keeps you active during the day, and setting a time for both ensures that your body recognizes its need for rest.

Train Your Body To Transition To Sleep Time

As bedtime approaches, do something that is relaxing. Working on your taxes or making a late run to return a movie to the video store is counterproductive, making it difficult to transition to a state that induces drowsiness. Get off the computer and smartphone. Drink a cup of herbal tea to help you relax and try to go to bed at about the same time every evening.

Make Your Bedroom an Enticing Place

A room that is quiet, dark and cool provides the best environment for sleep, and decorating it in soft colors and fabrics can make it inviting and relaxing. Bedrooms are often filled with distractions that have nothing to do with sleep, and removing them makes drifting off easier. A loud television set, electronics with bright or blinking lights or a desk in the corner that is covered with bills does not contribute to a creating an atmosphere that is conducive to sleep.

Take a Hint from Your Body

At some point in the evening, you may notice that you feel relaxed and ready to get some rest. Instead of ignoring those feelings and staying up longer, take the hint that it is time to go to bed. Getting a second wind at that point may cause you to lose the opportunity to get the hours of sleep that you need.

With a focus on improving your overall health and wellness, including getting quality rest, you will find that getting only 6-7 hours a sleep a night is all you need, and in fact, is the best thing for your long-term health.

Selected Sources

http://www.byz.org/~david/neuro/kripke.pdf

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-100510/Too-sleep-kill-claims-study.html