woman sleeping (Photo : Reuters)
Medical researchers say that sleep deprivation and oversleeping can cause major health problems and increase death rates. In their scientific study they discovered that 7 to 9 hours is the best amount of sleep for people to get daily.
Getting too little sleep is a problem among millions of Americans. However, over-snoozing can also cause unwanted health conditions.
The American Thoracic Society is a group of doctors that specializes in lung and heart conditions. It issued a new set of health guidelines on Monday about how much sleep adults require for good health.
Dr. Sutapa Mukherjee, chairman of the committee that issued the new policy statement, said that sleep is critical, according to WCTV. However, little information on good sleep health is available.
The medical group recommended that adults get 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night, to maximize its health benefits. That is based on their academic work.
In fact, sleep research shows that getting less than 6 hours of slumber in a 24-hour period can cause various health issues and higher death rates. Potential health problems resulting from sleep deprivation include weight gain, high blood pressure, type-2 diabetes, and heart disease.
The medical group also suggested that those who suffer from sleep insomnia use cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). It is a better than using sleeping pills to doze off.
Kingman Strohl of University Hospitals told CBS News that sleeping pills wear off when the user stops taking them. However, CBT is often long-lasting.
The physician group's policy statement also mentioned that sleeping too much, over 9 or 10 hours nightly, can also cause health problems. It can curiously boost stroke risks.
Finally, in terms of sleep deprivation the medical doctors noted that children require more sleep than adults. Age-based guidelines are needed.
The physicians learned that delaying the start time of school from 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. could greatly increase kids' sleep duration, according to My Central Oregon. They would be more alert and motivated.
Interestingly, the National Sleep Foundation also suggested in previous research that 7 to 9 hours is the perfect doze duration.
