{"id":2729,"date":"2010-11-03T12:30:29","date_gmt":"2010-11-03T16:30:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ehealth.cooperhealth.org\/?p=2729"},"modified":"2010-11-03T12:30:29","modified_gmt":"2010-11-03T16:30:29","slug":"lack-of-sleep-a-concern-for-longevity-for-men","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cooperhealth.org\/ehealth\/2010\/11\/03\/lack-of-sleep-a-concern-for-longevity-for-men\/","title":{"rendered":"Lack of Sleep a Concern for Longevity for Men"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"LackA man’s lifespan may shorten because of a lack of sleep, says a study reported in the medical journal Sleep<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The 14-year study found that men who reported having insomnia, or who slept for short periods of time, were more likely to die than men who slept well.<\/p>\n

“Insomnia has potentially very severe side effects,” says study co-author Edward Bixler, PhD. “It needs to be treated, and more effort needs to be put into sorting out better treatments.”
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How Much Sleep Are You Really Getting?<\/h3>\n

Previous research has looked at sleep’s effects on lifespan, but the new study is unique. It takes into account both people’s perceptions about how much sleep they are getting – which can be wrong – and the actual amount of sleep they got in a sleep lab.<\/p>\n

Dr. Bixler and his colleagues studied 1,700 people from central Pennsylvania and followed the men (average age 50) for 14 years and the women (average age 47) for a decade.<\/p>\n

The participants answered questions and spent a night in a sleep lab.<\/p>\n

About a fifth of the men died during the study period, while 5 percent of the women died.<\/p>\n

Dr. Bixler says one factor may be because women live longer than men and the study followed women for a shorter period.<\/p>\n

The research team adjusted for factors such as sleep apnea. They found that self-described male insomniacs who slept fewer than six hours in the sleep lab were several times more likely to die during the 14-year period compared to “good sleepers.”<\/p>\n

Among men, about 9 percent of good sleepers died during the study period, compared to more than half – 51 percent – of insomniacs with short sleep duration.<\/p>\n

Of all the people in the study, 8 percent of women and 4 percent of men both reported insomnia and had trouble getting much sleep in the lab.<\/p>\n

Sleep’s Role Requires More Study<\/h3>\n

The researchers say that the study does not definitively prove that poor sleep will directly cause a man to die earlier, and that there could be other factors at play.<\/p>\n

As for women, they are not in the clear, notes Dr. Bixler. Since they live longer, it may take a study of a longer duration to figure out whether they suffer from a similar effect.<\/p>\n

Sleep experts agree that the relationship between a good night’s sleep and length of life is important to understand and needs more study.<\/p>\n

Always consult with your physician or other healthcare provider for more information.<\/p>\n

Related Links:<\/h2>\n