Sleeping Too Little or Too Much: You Are At Equal Health Risk

sleeping problem

If you are suffering from insomnia, sleep apnea, or any kind of sleep disorder, leaving you without adequate sleep of six hours at the minimum, you are at more than usual risk of health disorders. If you love to sleep more than nine hours at a stretch every night, you face the equal risk of health problems.

We are all aware that sleeping less puts us at the risk of hypertension, cardiovascular problems, and psychological disorders. Can you imagine that sleeping more is equally harmful? Those sleeping long hours are at enhanced risk of becoming subject to similar diabetics and diseases that bring them at equal footing with those deprived of sleep.

Research Study on Sleeping

According to a recent report published in the journal SLEEP, sleeping more than 10 hours is equally harmful as sleeping less than six hours. Sponsored and supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the nodal US agency looking after public health problems in that country, the report warns of diabetes, anxiety, and coronary heart diseases in adults above 45 due to long sleeping hours.

Over 54,000 people 45 years or above were studied by researchers. About 64 percent were found to be optimal sleepers between six and nine hours, leaving 31 percent lacking adequate sleep of six hours while five percent went beyond nine hours of sleeping in their everyday life.
  

The report highlights frequent mental distress, higher obesity, diabetes, strokes, and more incidence of coronary heart disease in those lacking or going beyond seven to nine hours of sleep in 24 hours. The research found that these diseases are more with those longing for more sleep.

"Some of the relationships between unhealthy sleep durations and chronic diseases were partially explained by frequent mental distress and obesity," says Janet B Croft, a senior chronic disease epidemiologist at the Population Health division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and leader of the research group.

sleep deprivation

The publication recommends a close monitoring of sleep health of those suffering from chronic health disorders, as sleeping hours have a bearing on their mental health and body weight, which influence progress of treatment. Seven to nine hours of sleeping in 24 hours enables to reap health benefits and defeat chronic conditions. But getting less or more than these hours may significantly impact your quality of life and disease symptoms.

How To Improve Sleep
The prime reason for sleeping problems is stress on the body, which causes a number of other problems, including weight gain, hormone imbalance, hair loss, premature aging, and lowered immune function.

Foods To Improve Sleep
To get quality sleep, make the following diet adjustments and these foods to your everyday meals:

• High Antioxidant Foods, including vegetables, green tea, high nutrient fruits, help in hormone production. Not only this, antioxidants also fight free radicals in the body and remove toxins that can obstruct sleep. 
• Healthy fats, including coconut oil, eggs, pasture raised meats, provide your body with building blocks that are essential for the production of sleep hormones.
• Quality Proteins and vegetables will prepare your body for sleep.

It is important for better sleep that you have your meals at least a couple of hours before your sleeping regimen. This will allow time for your body to digest the food. A well-balanced diet will help your sleeping routine- ensuring proper sleep.

too much sleep

Foods that Disrupt Sleep
Vegetable oils, carbohydrates and sugars can cause a spike in blood glucose levels and create hormonal problem. This can result in sleeplessness in the middle of the night.

• Fatty foods, such as steak, not only raise cholesterol, but also increase obesity risk, these are digested slowly by the body and thus cause circadian rhythm problems, especially if eaten just before bedtime. Not only this, high-fat diets are linked to sleep apnea.
• Broccoli is regarded a health-friendly vegetable, but eaten before bedtime, it can cause all sorts of sleep problems. Cauliflower and broccoli, eaten too close to bedtime, can keep your body working for long hours in order to digest the slow-to-digest fiber.

Images:

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