A study of theNational Institute of Health and Medical Research establishes a link between nights of less than five hours and the development of chronic diseases.
Article written by
Posted
Update
Reading time : 1 min.
Lack of sleep is detrimental to health. In a study published Tuesday, October 18, Inserm links sleep duration and the development of multiple chronic diseases in adults over the age of 50. “There is a robust association between short sleep duration (less than or equal to five hours) at ages 50, 60, and 70 and a higher risk of multimorbidity in the range of 30-40% depending on the age”points the study.
According to the authors, nights that are too short lead to “a 20% increased risk of developing a first chronic disease” and “a similar increased risk of multimorbidity” among people who have already developed a first chronic disease. “These results could explain the increased risk of death of around 25% observed in people aged 50 with a sleep duration less than or equal to five hours per night”adds Inserm.
Conversely, scientists have not found a causal link between having a longer sleep duration (greater than or equal to 9 hours) at the age of 50 and the risk of developing multimorbidity. during ageing. “A night’s sleep of nine hours or more among people who developed a first chronic disease during their follow-up (at the mean age of 66)” would rather be a consequence, and not a cause, of chronic disease, adds the study, specifying that research must still be carried out to confirm this hypothesis.
>> VIDEO. How to fight against lack of sleep?
“All of these results support the importance of promoting good sleep hygiene in populations. To do this, it is necessary to target the lifestyle habits and environmental conditions that affect the duration and quality of sleep”explained Séverine Sabia, Inserm researcher and first author of the study. The institute recalls that more than half of adults over the age of 65 suffer from at least two chronic diseases.