The relationship between sleep and health is complex. A new study has identified four different types of sleepers to better understand sleep, and explained how each can impact long-term well-being.
Studies have shown that sleep deprivation is a risk factor for many chronic diseases, but most studies measure a single characteristic of sleep at a single point in time, missing important information. You may have.
Here, we surveyed a total of 3,683 participants from existing longitudinal studies in the United States from 2004 to 2006 and again from 2013 to 2017. They reported on their sleep patterns, daytime fatigue, and chronic health conditions. .
Researchers led by a team at Penn State University say different types of sleep patterns have different effects on our health. We also found that people were less likely to change their sleep habits over time.
“These results may suggest that changing sleep habits is very difficult because sleep health is integrated into our entire lifestyle,” said Penn State University's Sleep Research Institute. Soomi Lee, a sleep scientist at the STEALTH Laboratory, said:
“It may also suggest that people still don't know about the importance of sleep or behaviors related to sleep health.”
The researchers identified four different categories of sleepers based on a combination of conditions across different scales.
People who sleep well have optimal regularity in timing and amount, feel satisfied, are alert during the day, have appropriate bedtimes, are more efficient at nodding and waking up, and have consistent sleep duration. I had healthy sleep habits.
There were also people who generally slept less than average, but preferred to catch up on weekends and non-working days.
Next, there were some insomniac sleepers who showed typical signs of insomnia. They may have trouble sleeping, feel tired during the day, or take a long time to fall asleep.
The fourth type of sleeper is a napper, who almost always has a good sleep pattern and takes frequent naps.
At the second measurement point, more than half of the study participants were either insomniacs or nappers, with suboptimal sleep patterns, the researchers said. People who slept with this type of insomnia over a 10-year period were more likely to develop a variety of chronic health conditions, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and depression.
The researchers say more efforts are needed to educate people about the benefits of good sleep and the link between sleep deprivation and poor health. Sleep has a huge impact on everything from memory to creativity.
“Sleeping is a daily activity,” says Lee. “Sleep is also modifiable. So if you can improve your sleep almost every day, what kind of results will you see in the months and even years down the road?”
Statistics show that older people and retirees are more likely to take naps, while those who have spent less time in education or who face job insecurity are more likely to belong to the insomniac group. It was done.
This shows how multifaceted a field of research this is. Many factors affect sleep, which in turn has many effects. By dividing sleepers into types, as was done previously, we can make some of these relationships more clear.
“There are sleep hygiene behaviors people can take to improve their sleep, such as not using their phones in bed, exercising regularly, and avoiding caffeine in the late afternoon,” says Lee.
This study Psychosomatic medicine.
