I know a handful of people who tell me they go to bed late and wake up early, getting 4-6 hours of sleep per night. Then they proceed to drag through the day and the week tired because their sleep schedule is so out of wack.
And, I’m willing to bet it isn’t just their sleep that is not normal. According to a recent study in the journal SLEEP chronic sleep deprivation is a risk factor for hypertension (high blood pressure). In fact, those who sleep less than five hours per night (hedge fund managers, pay attention) had a 500% higher risk for hypertension than participants who sleep at least 6 hours per night. Sleeping between 5-6 hours per night was asociated with a 350% greater risk for hypertension.
The results of this study just add to the body of research indicating that sleep deprivation is really health deprivation. Lack of sleep is associated with increased production of cortisol (that stress hormone that is linked to fat around our midsections), increased blood sugar and alterations in heart rate.
So what’s the bottom line? Get some zzzzzzzzzs. If you are having issues sleeping, check out these two websites for help:
www.aasmnet.org
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/about/ncsdr/patpub/patpub-a.htm
Speaking of sleep, that’s something I sure hope to be doing on my 6 a.m. flight tomorrow morning….