Researchers have discovered the perfect amount of sleep needed per night in order to maintain a healthy equilibrium within the body, while busting a popular “myth” on the topic.
The study, presented at a meeting of the European Society of Cardiology by China’s National Centre for Cardiovascular Disease, found that people on average needed around seven to nine hours of sleep per night.
This, says Loughborough University’s emeritus professor Kevin Morgan, blows claims out of the water that eight hours is the optimal sleep time.
Professor Morgan told The Times that the study also showed the benefits of a weekend lie-in and how that can help reduce someone’s risk of heart disease.
Professor Morgan said: “The latest study is yet another to explode the myth that we need exactly eight hours’ sleep a night.
“If we have to put a number on it, most people need somewhere between seven and nine hours each night, but there are always outliers.”
The study also looked into the benefits of sleeping longer at weekends – also known as compensatory sleep – with benefits being found with as little as an extra 1.28 hours in bed. In some cases, extra sleep was associated with a reduction in risk of developing heart disease.
Lead author Yanjun Song explained: “Sufficient compensatory sleep is linked to a lower risk of heart disease. The association becomes even more pronounced among individuals who regularly experience inadequate sleep on weekdays.”
What this means is those who don’t get enough sleep during the working week will benefit from catching up on their sleep at the weekends.
Whilst sleeping in could help reduce someone’s risk of heart disease, not everyone is able to do so, with others struggling to fall asleep completely.
This lack of sleep can lead to adverse behaviour during the day with a poll of 2,000 adults showing that almost 90 percent had experienced feelings of being ‘tangry’ an amalgamation of the words tired and angry.
On why people experience ‘tangry’ behaviour, sleep expert Dr Sophie Bostock said: “Our sleep, well-being and behaviour are intimately linked. A lack of sleep can alter the emotional control centres of the brain, making us more sensitive to stress, and reducing self-control.
“Some people become more impulsive and aggressive. This survey is also a valuable reminder that many of us can feel like a different person when we are sleep deprived and can lash out in ways we later regret.”
