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Chill out about sleep: Obsessing over eight hours is unnecessary, experts say
🇸🇬 Singapore /Health & Science

Chill out about sleep: Obsessing over eight hours is unnecessary, experts say

From CNA · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Sources not specified Context piece
  • Many people obsess over sleep duration, but evidence suggests there is no magic number of hours for optimal health.
  • Studies show lowest mortality risk clusters around seven hours of sleep, with risk increasing for both shorter and longer durations.
  • Sleep quality and routine consistency may be more important than exact duration, and anxiety about sleep metrics can worsen quality.

Many people stress about getting enough sleep, tracking their hours and investing in aids like special mattresses or white noise machines. This anxiety, termed "orthosomnia," can ironically degrade sleep quality. However, experts suggest "chilling out" about sleep habits might be beneficial.

We could all benefit from chilling out about sleep.

— the authorSuggesting a less anxious approach to sleep habits.

The common belief that eight hours of sleep is essential is not strongly supported by evidence. Sleep epidemiology studies consistently find that the lowest mortality risk is associated with around seven hours of sleep. Both significantly less and more sleep are linked to increased risk, with some studies even finding higher mortality rates among those sleeping nine to 11 hours.

Orthosomnia is an emerging clinical concept in which anxiety about sleep metrics can degrade sleep quality.

— the authorDefining a condition where sleep anxiety harms sleep.

While insufficient sleep is linked to various health and socioeconomic factors, the risk associated with sleeping too much is often explained by reverse causation. People who are sick, depressed, or in pain tend to sleep longer, which can skew mortality data. Once these factors are accounted for, the risk of excessive sleep diminishes significantly.

the adults with the highest mortality rates were those who slept nine to 11 hours a night.

— the authorCiting findings from a meta-analysis of sleep studies.

Ultimately, sleep quality and the regularity of one's sleep routine may be more critical than the total duration. A consistent, good-quality 6.5 hours of sleep each night could be more beneficial than a fragmented, anxious eight-hour routine with highly variable sleep patterns. Recommendations for seven to nine hours of sleep do not account for individual differences like sex and age.

The reason that sleeping for a long time is linked to higher mortality is that, on average, people who are sick sleep more.

— the authorExplaining the concept of reverse causation in sleep studies.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by CNA in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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