Maintaining good sleep hygiene is important for health and well-being. Sleeping is a part of our day to day living, but not everybody is aware of what comprises a good sleep hygiene and its importance in terms of health. Maintaining healthy sleep hygiene is essential for overall health and well-being.
Evidence has shown the association between poor sleep quality and common diseases such as:
- Obesity
- Depression
- Hypertension
- Diabetes
- Heart disease
Sleep deprivation also contributes to stress in relationships, decreased performance at school and work, accidental injuries, memory and cognitive impairment and a poor quality of life.
A new study reported in the Journal of the American Heart Association says that sleeping less than 6 hours was associated with 2.1 times higher risk of death due to heart disease or stroke in people with metabolic syndrome, especially in those who had high blood pressure or poor glucose metabolism. While those who those with metabolic syndrome who had more than 6 hours of sleep time were about 1.49 times more likely to die of stroke.
The risk factors clustered together as metabolic syndrome included body mass index (BMI) greater than 30 and raised total cholesterol, blood pressure, fasting blood sugar and triglycerides.