We all know getting enough shut-eye is important right? After all who doesn't feel better after a long night of rest? However, while we all know it is important very few people get the recommend hours of sleep each night. Somehow as a society we developed a "sleep is for the weak" or "I will sleep when I am dead" mindset. Little did we know how accurate the mindset really was. Studies show that not getting enough sleep is linked to early death. Seems like we all may be "sleeping when we are dead" way sooner than we thought.
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Not Getting Enough Sleep Is Linked To Early Death And I Am Terrified
@drdanfriederich If you want an early death, sleep 4-5 hours a night ? . . . eyehealth optometrist doctorsofinstagram eyehealthtips dryeyes health fitness healthyrecipes optometry eyewear optician healthspo fitlifestyle optical wellness healthychoices fitnesslifestyle healthylife fitspiration healthyliving fitfood gym fit healthyfood healthylifestyle livehard 75hard nutrition sleeptips
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I like to consider myself a decent sleeper because I get about six hours a night. However, I toss and turn and often wake at least once. I thought everyone woke up in the morning drowsy and agitated. Well, apparently my night owl tendencies are not benefiting me in any way.
A doctor, who is now on TikTok, explained why getting five hours or less of rest can be detrimental for your health. He starts off with a bold statement that clearly address how not getting enough sleep is linked to an early death.
He states, "If you think that you can survive on only four to five hours of sleep every night, you're going to have an early death." Well isn't that a wake-up-call, no pun intended. He argues that multiple studies show that between 6-8 hours a night is the magic number for sleep. Phew, I just made the cut. Although he does argue that "If you go more than nine hours it's also bad for your health" he stays firm in his statement that "sleeping less than five is the worst thing you could possibly be doing."
Next, the doctor shares some terrifying health-related conditions that you become more prone to when you're not catching enough Z's. He mentions, "Increased mortality across the board, cardiovascular disease, and all types of diseases are associated with sleeping that little."
The Basics: Don't Let Your Sleep Be Linked To An Early Death
While we all know not getting enough rest can be detrimental to our health, many didn't know that it was linked to an early death. However, it is not all about quantity. While 6-8 hours is necessary, with 7-8 preferred, the quality of your slumber also matters.
The Sleep Foundation breaks it down into four categories:
- Sleep latency
- Sleep efficiency
- Nighttime awakenings
- Sleep stages
Let's break each one down. Latency is how long it takes you to fall asleep. A healthy amount of time is between 15-20 minutes. As someone who often takes 30-60 minutes to fall asleep, I am now concerned all over again. Efficiency measures how much of your time you actually spend sleeping. Contrary to popular belief, laying in bed with your eyes closed is not enough.
They share that "experts consider a healthy sleep efficiency to be around 85%." Moving on, nighttime awakenings is also relevant to your sleep score and whether or not you are getting enough rest. "Too much time spent awake at night can be a sign of sleep fragmentation and poor-quality rest." See that, not only do you need to worry about how long you are asleep but how well you are sleeping. Who knew sleeping could be such work?
Finally, there are the stages. If you want to wake feeling rested in the morning, you are aiming for that deep sleep stage. Those who are not getting enough rest are most likely spending time in the light stages. By now, we all know that not getting enough sleep is linked to an early death...and nobody wants that.
The Negative Impacts Of Only 5 Hours Of Rest
The Sleep Foundation also chimes in on the negative impacts getting five hours of rest has on your body and mind. They argue that "only getting five hours of sleep affects a person's daytime functioning, sense of being, and both their mental and physical health." Also, for all of those who think they are fine, the Sleep Foundation argues against you as well.
They state that those who think they can get by with five hours only feel that way because "individuals who are regularly sleep deprived may get used to the symptoms, not because they no longer experience the effects of sleep loss."
Here are some terrifying things that are negatively impacted when you get 5 or less hours of rest a night.
- Harder to concentrate
- Longer to react
- Increases difficulty in reasoning
- Affects memory
- Makes you more irritable
- Leads to feelings of anxiety and depression
- Increases the risk of accidents
- Increases risk of cardiovascular disease
- Can lead to high blood pressure , stroke and heart disease
- Linked to type 2 diabetes and kidney disease
- Negatively affects the immune system
- Lack of quality of life
So if you don't want to be on your way to an early grave make sure you take your slumber seriously.
