You May Live Longer If You Optimize Sleep
SPRING IS HERE, and it may be time for a bit of spring cleaning for your brain. Let’s look at how optimizing sleep can help your brain flush out toxins and potentially lower your risk of chronic diseases such as memory problems.
Do you have chronic sleep insufficiency? You may have a higher risk of several health problems. Did you know that sleepiness is a common cause of car crashes? Sleep contributes to more than half of fatal truck crashes in the United States.
Inadequate sleep is associated with an increased risk of motor vehicle accidents, even among those of us who do not report excessive sleepiness. Moreover, we commit more errors at work. Here are the eye-opening results of a study of nearly 5000 police officers: Forty percent screened positive for at least one sleep problem (primarily obstructive sleep apnea).
Of the officers who had a sleep disorder, there appeared to be an increase in the number of work-related administrative errors, falling asleep while driving, and exhibiting uncontrolled anger towards suspects. Sleep deprivation doubled the risk of falling asleep at meetings.
Sleep deprivation has implications for your heart health, too. The United Kingdom Biobank study of nearly half a million adults age 40 to 69 is illustrative. None had cardiovascular disease at study entry. Those who habitually slept less than six hours daily (self-reported) had a 1.2-fold increase in the risk of a heart attack.
You May Live Longer If You Optimize Sleep. Please go here to learn more: