Sleeping 6 to 7 hours instead of 8 lowers death rate

[Guest guest]

http://news./s/space/20060323/sc_space/sleepdeprivationthegreatamerican\

myth

People who get only 6 to 7 hours a night have a lower death rate than

those who get 8 hours of sleep. —From a six-year study of more than a

million adults

Many Americans are sleep-deprived zombies, and a quarter of us now use

some form of sleeping pill or aid at night.

Wake up, says psychiatry professor Kripke of the University of

California, San Diego. The pill-taking is real but the refrain that

Americans are sleep deprived originates largely from people funded by

the drug industry or with financial interests in sleep research clinics.

" They think that scaring people about sleep increases their income, "

Kripke told LiveScience.

Thanks to the marketing of less addictive drugs directly to consumers,

sleeping pills have become a hot commodity, especially in the past

five years. People worldwide spent $2 billion on the most popular

sleeping pill, Ambien (zolpidem), in 2004, according to the BioMarket,

a biotech research company.

Earlier this month, it was reported that some Ambien users are

susceptible to amnesia and walking in their sleep. Some even ate in

the middle of the night without realizing it.

Global sales for all sleeping pills, called hypnotics, will top $5

billion in the next several years.

The number of adults aged 20-44 using sleeping pills doubled from 2000

to 2004, according to Medco Health Solutions, a managed care company.

Sleep problems are commonly reported in the elderly, but the increase

in spending on sleeping pills was highest in this period for 10-19

year olds, possibly due to an association with medication for

attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

[Guest guest]

Hi folks:

Interesting study. But I wonder if the significance of it may be

entirely different from what it appears to be on the surface.

Does it really mean that people who feel they need eight hours of

sleep a night will live longer if they make sure to set their alarm

to be woken after only 6½ hours ................ and walk around

in a daze all day in consequence?

There is a possible alternative explanation. After starting CRON

many people notice they do not need as much sleep as before.

Might the explanation of the study findings be that people who eat

fewer calories than average both need less sleep and live longer,

while those who eat too many calories have shorter lifespans (as we

all know) and find they need more sleep?

If this is the case, then the observed inverse association between

sleep and lifespan may be mediated by the level of caloric intake.

I do not have an strong opinion on this because I have not seen a

study that controlled for this factor. Perhaps this study did, but I

haven't seen it. My (unreliable) intuition tells me that getting

what seems like inadequate sleep is unlikely to be healthy.

Rodney.

>

>

http://news./s/space/20060323/sc_space/sleepdeprivationthegre

atamericanmyth

>

>

> People who get only 6 to 7 hours a night have a lower death rate

than

> those who get 8 hours of sleep. —From a six-year study of more

than a

> million adults

>

> Many Americans are sleep-deprived zombies, and a quarter of us now

use

> some form of sleeping pill or aid at night.

>

> Wake up, says psychiatry professor Kripke of the University

of

> California, San Diego. The pill-taking is real but the refrain that

> Americans are sleep deprived originates largely from people funded

by

> the drug industry or with financial interests in sleep research

clinics.

>

> " They think that scaring people about sleep increases their income, "

> Kripke told LiveScience.

>

> Thanks to the marketing of less addictive drugs directly to

consumers,

> sleeping pills have become a hot commodity, especially in the past

> five years. People worldwide spent $2 billion on the most popular

> sleeping pill, Ambien (zolpidem), in 2004, according to the

BioMarket,

> a biotech research company.

>

> Earlier this month, it was reported that some Ambien users are

> susceptible to amnesia and walking in their sleep. Some even ate in

> the middle of the night without realizing it.

>

> Global sales for all sleeping pills, called hypnotics, will top $5

> billion in the next several years.

>

> The number of adults aged 20-44 using sleeping pills doubled from

2000

> to 2004, according to Medco Health Solutions, a managed care

company.

> Sleep problems are commonly reported in the elderly, but the

increase

> in spending on sleeping pills was highest in this period for 10-19

> year olds, possibly due to an association with medication for

> attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

>

[Guest guest]

Hi folks:

Interesting study. But I wonder if the significance of it may be

entirely different from what it appears to be on the surface.

Does it really mean that people who feel they need eight hours of

sleep a night will live longer if they make sure to set their alarm

to be woken after only 6½ hours ................ and walk around

in a daze all day in consequence?

There is a possible alternative explanation. After starting CRON

many people notice they do not need as much sleep as before.

Might the explanation of the study findings be that people who eat

fewer calories than average both need less sleep and live longer,

while those who eat too many calories have shorter lifespans (as we

all know) and find they need more sleep?

If this is the case, then the observed inverse association between

sleep and lifespan may be mediated by the level of caloric intake.

I do not have an strong opinion on this because I have not seen a

study that controlled for this factor. Perhaps this study did, but I

haven't seen it. My (unreliable) intuition tells me that getting

what seems like inadequate sleep is unlikely to be healthy.

Rodney.

>

>

http://news./s/space/20060323/sc_space/sleepdeprivationthegre

atamericanmyth

>

>

> People who get only 6 to 7 hours a night have a lower death rate

than

> those who get 8 hours of sleep. —From a six-year study of more

than a

> million adults

>

> Many Americans are sleep-deprived zombies, and a quarter of us now

use

> some form of sleeping pill or aid at night.

>

> Wake up, says psychiatry professor Kripke of the University

of

> California, San Diego. The pill-taking is real but the refrain that

> Americans are sleep deprived originates largely from people funded

by

> the drug industry or with financial interests in sleep research

clinics.

>

> " They think that scaring people about sleep increases their income, "

> Kripke told LiveScience.

>

> Thanks to the marketing of less addictive drugs directly to

consumers,

> sleeping pills have become a hot commodity, especially in the past

> five years. People worldwide spent $2 billion on the most popular

> sleeping pill, Ambien (zolpidem), in 2004, according to the

BioMarket,

> a biotech research company.

>

> Earlier this month, it was reported that some Ambien users are

> susceptible to amnesia and walking in their sleep. Some even ate in

> the middle of the night without realizing it.

>

> Global sales for all sleeping pills, called hypnotics, will top $5

> billion in the next several years.

>

> The number of adults aged 20-44 using sleeping pills doubled from

2000

> to 2004, according to Medco Health Solutions, a managed care

company.

> Sleep problems are commonly reported in the elderly, but the

increase

> in spending on sleeping pills was highest in this period for 10-19

> year olds, possibly due to an association with medication for

> attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

>

[Guest guest]

Good point assuming there's any significance at all... There are well

documented problems from extreme sleep deficit, and too much can be

symptomatic of other issues, but self reporting sleep patterns can be

about as reliable as self reporting energy intake.

Sleep may be one of the few things that worrying about it too much can

negatively affect it.

I found " The promise of Sleep " by Dr. Dement a good read on the general

subject. Micro-managing sleep may be as much a waste of time as

micro-managing anything else.

JR

There is plenty

Rodney wrote:

> Hi folks:

>

> Interesting study. But I wonder if the significance of it may be

> entirely different from what it appears to be on the surface.

>

> Does it really mean that people who feel they need eight hours of

> sleep a night will live longer if they make sure to set their alarm

> to be woken after only 6½ hours ................ and walk around

> in a daze all day in consequence?

>

> There is a possible alternative explanation. After starting CRON

> many people notice they do not need as much sleep as before.

>

> Might the explanation of the study findings be that people who eat

> fewer calories than average both need less sleep and live longer,

> while those who eat too many calories have shorter lifespans (as we

> all know) and find they need more sleep?

>

> If this is the case, then the observed inverse association between

> sleep and lifespan may be mediated by the level of caloric intake.

>

> I do not have an strong opinion on this because I have not seen a

> study that controlled for this factor. Perhaps this study did, but I

> haven't seen it. My (unreliable) intuition tells me that getting

> what seems like inadequate sleep is unlikely to be healthy.

>

> Rodney.

>

>

>>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Good point assuming there's any significance at all... There are well

documented problems from extreme sleep deficit, and too much can be

symptomatic of other issues, but self reporting sleep patterns can be

about as reliable as self reporting energy intake.

Sleep may be one of the few things that worrying about it too much can

negatively affect it.

I found " The promise of Sleep " by Dr. Dement a good read on the general

subject. Micro-managing sleep may be as much a waste of time as

micro-managing anything else.

JR

There is plenty

Rodney wrote:

> Hi folks:

>

> Interesting study. But I wonder if the significance of it may be

> entirely different from what it appears to be on the surface.

>

> Does it really mean that people who feel they need eight hours of

> sleep a night will live longer if they make sure to set their alarm

> to be woken after only 6½ hours ................ and walk around

> in a daze all day in consequence?

>

> There is a possible alternative explanation. After starting CRON

> many people notice they do not need as much sleep as before.

>

> Might the explanation of the study findings be that people who eat

> fewer calories than average both need less sleep and live longer,

> while those who eat too many calories have shorter lifespans (as we

> all know) and find they need more sleep?

>

> If this is the case, then the observed inverse association between

> sleep and lifespan may be mediated by the level of caloric intake.

>

> I do not have an strong opinion on this because I have not seen a

> study that controlled for this factor. Perhaps this study did, but I

> haven't seen it. My (unreliable) intuition tells me that getting

> what seems like inadequate sleep is unlikely to be healthy.

>

> Rodney.

>

>

>>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>