While feeling like we don’t get enough sleep seems to be a universal experience, it turns out it might not be so helpful to our health after all.
That’s because scientists believe there is a sweet spot you should be aiming for in terms of how long you sleep each night.
In fact, they go as far as to suggest that getting exactly seven hours and 18 minutes of sleep every night can prevent two major health conditions.
This comes after experts in China conducted a study and came to the conclusion that too much sleep can be just as bad for your health as not getting enough.
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This is because of blood sugar levels, with seven hours and 18 minutes being cited as the perfect amount of sleep to prevent insulin resistance.
In the study, 23,475 people took part who were aged between 20 and 80.
The research was published in BMJ Open Diabetes Research and Care, which states: “This study highlights the correlation between sleep patterns and estimated glucose disposal rate (eGDR), with an approximate weekday sleep duration of 7.32 hours associated with the most favorable eGDR values. Among individuals with shorter weekday sleep, modest weekend catch-up sleep (WCS) (≤2 hours) was linked to higher eGDR, whereas excessive WCS showed a negative association with eGDR. These correlational findings suggest that sleep patterns, particularly weekend recovery sleep, may be relevant for metabolic regulation in diabetes and could inform considerations for healthcare professionals in managing patient care.”
The researchers continued: “Importantly, there appears to be a bidirectional relationship between sleep and metabolism. For instance, poor glycemic status itself has been linked to a higher likelihood of both short and extended sleep durations, as well as sleep disorders. This creates a potential vicious cycle wherein metabolic dysregulation disrupts normal sleep patterns, and the resultant abnormal sleep (including extended duration) further aggravates metabolic health.”
Many people have taken to social media to share their own thoughts on what the perfect amount of sleep is, with one user writing on Reddit: “I really can't sleep more than 6 to 6 and a half hours. No alarm clock. I just fall awake. I can lay in bed for the extra hour or so but I won't be sleeping.”
Another said: “I've consistently gotten 2-4 hours sleep per night since middle school or around 2.5 decades. Unsurprisingly I feel miserable and it's really starting to catch up with me.”
And a third person added: “Nope. I want 10.”