Too much or too little sleep could be detrimental to women’s health-study

Thursday 19th July 2012

Following the Alzheimer's Association International Conference 2012 it has been suggested by the findings of a recent study that there is an association between sleep quality and quantity and the risk of cognitive decline. The studies also suggests that interventions to normalise sleep duration and correct sleep disorders may not only improve quality of life, but have potential to reduce or prevent cognitive decline

An accumulation of previous studies suggests that seven hours sleep is recommended, but shorter than or longer than those seven hours may increase the risk for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

The study conducted at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, looked at 15,263 women over a period of 14 years. All the participants underwent regular tests to check their memory and attention span. The findings indicated that those women who had 5 hours sleep or less or 9 hours or more had revealed lower mental performance in comparison to participants that had seven hours of sleep.

Not only getting the right amount of sleep, but eating a balanced diet, maintaining a healthy weight and exercising regularly can also make a big difference to whether you experience health issues in later life.
 

Tags: sleep study research Alzheimer's

Category: Sleep Research

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