The Importance of Sleep
Sleep is essential at every age. Adequate sleep supports cognitive function, mood, cardiovascular function, and metabolism.1
Chronic sleep insufficiency is associated with an increased risk of serious health disorders, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, and cancer. Even short-term sleep deprivation can have a significant impact on physical and mental health.
Research suggests that increasing nightly sleep duration can have important health benefits, especially in people who habitually do not sleep well.2
Large cohort studies since 2020 continue to show that chronic poor sleep and/or fewer than seven hours a night is linked with higher cardiometabolic risk and all‑cause mortality, even after adjustment for other lifestyle factors.3
Sleep is not just “rest” but an active biological process that supports neurological, cardiovascular, immune, and endocrine repair each night.4
- Poor sleep is consistently associated with higher risks of obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular events, and all‑cause mortality.5
- Reduced sleep affects hormones linked to appetite (higher ghrelin, lower leptin) and often leads to increased food intake and weight gain. These effects can then increase the risk of obesity and metabolic syndrome.6
- Slow‑wave sleep has been shown to increase interstitial space in the brain, which can then improve the brain's clearance processes of amyloid‑beta plaques, potentially reducing risk of neurodegenerative diseases.7
- Sleep deprivation is associated with impairments in both innate and adaptive immune function, potentially leading to a chronic inflammatory state. This can increase risk of cardiometabolic, neoplastic, autoimmune, and neurodegenerative diseases.8
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), the Sleep Research Society (SRS), and the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) all recommend that adults get at least 7 hours’ sleep per night for optimal health.9
