Issue date: 10/5/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Rachel Bujalski Jenna Hughes, a sophomore english education major, takes a nap in her bed after class Thursday morning.

For years, sleep researchers have been telling the general populace that a lack of sleep can be extremely hazardous for your health.

But due to a recent study, UK researchers are now reporting that too much sleep at night, as well as too little sleep, could potentially double your risk of death.

"In many cases, there are pre-existing conditions that force people into sleeping more than the recommended 7-8 hours a night," Dr. Helene A. Emsellem, director of The Center For Sleep & Wake Disorders, said.

"Whether the condition is chronic anemia or some form of cancer, most people who need that much sleep are not in the best condition," Emsellem added.

On the other hand, too little sleep has been linked to many problems and issues people have such as cardiovascular problems, especially in women.

"This is not new information. We have studies that have information that directly correlate too little sleep to developing health issues," Emsellem, author of "Snooze...or Lose! Ten 'No-War' Ways to Improve Your Teen's Sleep Habits," said.

Night time, Emsellem says, is the time when your body recuperates from your daily problems.

"When you sleep, your body sort of refreshes itself physically and mentally to try and get your body ready for another day," Emsellem said.

"Without the necessary sleep, your body and mind will more than likely not perform at maximum capacity and in turn, not accomplish as much as you would with a full 7-8 hours."

Another key aspect of sleep is the fact that the body uses this time to help the mind learn important information gained during the day.

"During the day your mind sort of acts like a camera in some ways. Your mind takes still shots, if you will, of all the events and key facts of the day," Emsellem said.

"But at night, your mind goes through all the information you learned during the day and saves the important stuff while sort of tossing the rest to the side."

The study, done by Professor Francesco Cappuccio from the University of Warwick's Warwick Medical School, involved more than 10,000 participants whose daily sleep habits were documented.

The study was done in two sessions, the first from 1985-1988. The second session was performed between 1992-1993 for the participants still living.

"In terms of prevention, our findings indicate that consistently sleeping around seven hours per night is optimal for health, and a sustained reduction may predispose (people) to ill-health," Cappuccio said.

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