Sleeping less than five hours linked to 37 diseases, major study finds

Sleeping fewer than five hours nightly has been linked to increased risks of 37 diseases, including serious cardiovascular and neurological conditions, according to a major study involving nearly 100,000 adults.

The research, published in PLOS Medicine, as reported by Tribune, analysed sleep patterns among 95,559 UK Biobank participants over a median follow-up period of 8.9 years.

Researchers used wearable devices and artificial intelligence to examine sleep duration, quality and different sleep stages.

The findings revealed that an additional 47.6 minutes of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep was associated with a 46 per cent lower risk of dementia, 26 per cent lower risk of heart failure and 80 per cent lower risk of parkinsonism.

Deep sleep was also associated with reduced risks of type 2 diabetes and depression.

Researchers identified 156 significant associations between sleep patterns and diseases, with six to eight hours linked to lower risks for numerous conditions.

However, they cautioned that the findings establish associations rather than proving that inadequate sleep directly causes disease.