People who get less sleep consistently are more likely to die earlier

Question

Sleep is extremely important for the human body. Studies have found that those who get less than six hours of sleep consistently are more likely to die earlier than those who get more sleep.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2010/may/05/sleep-study-premature-death

Comments

I agree with this one hundred percent but my question would be how much earlier exactly do they die. Whats the numbers on average, because sleep is vitally important.

---

The article you used seems very good and the study was really interesting however I believe it missed other potential factors that cause sleep loss and even contribute to a quicker death such as any illnesses or diseases, or stress throughout life. As well as how much it will affect your lifespan and if the difference is really such a problem that people will start sleeping more.

---

Great comment. I definitely agree. You use a well-trusted source and raise major health concerns like diabetes and the chance of stroke.

---

This is a great point. The article you used outlines why sleep is so essential for overall health. It especially goes into depth as to how getting enough sleep also improves good cognitive function, mood, and your physical health.

---

Aside from life span there are health concerns that may arise due to lack of sleep. Which may be the main factor on individuals with less sleep lifespan?
source: https://mcpress.mayoclinic.org/healthy-aging/how-quality-sleep-impacts-your-lifespan/

Answer 1

You’re right that lack of sleep is linked to a shorter lifespan. Getting less than six hours a night increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, which can all lead to an early death. The CDC confirms that not getting enough sleep raises the chances of developing chronic health issues. 

One thing that could make your fact-check stronger is mentioning that too much sleep can also be a problem. Harvard Medical School found that regularly sleeping more than nine hours a night can also increase the risk of early death. Adding that could give a more stronger overall response.

https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about_sleep/key_disorders.html

https://sleep.hms.harvard.edu/education-training/public-education/sleep-and-health-education-program/sleep-health-education-86

Answer 2

The article states that sleeping less that 6 hours a day can lead to health problems that can put you at risk. Research done by academics in UK and Italy show that 1.3 million people and more than 100,000 deaths happen due to a lack of sleep. So it is true in another article states, "You aren't likely to die after missing a night or two of quality sleep, but the effects of sleep deprivation can still be serious and may increase your risk of dying over time." So no you can't die cause you don't sleep but you do put yourself at risk in getting issues that can lead to death.

 https://www.verywellhealth.com/can-sleep-deprivation-cause-your-death-3015067#:~:text=You%20aren't%20likely%20to,potentially%20fatal%20accidents%20or%20injuries.

Answer 3

Right off the bat I was a bit hesitant about the credibility of this claim, as the article you included by “The Guardian” is more than 14 years old. That article states that research found that people who slept less than six hours a night consistently were twelve percent more likely to have an early death. The article also says that those who sleep more than nine hours a night can also be at risk of early death. The right amount of sleep recommended is six to eight hours, and any more or less can be a weighing factor with a short lifespan. That article brought me to an article by the University of Warwick, which conducted a study in this field and summarizes the same ideas as the first article. I also wanted to see what the “National Library of Medicine” had to say on this topic, and after finding an article  by them, it stated that five hours of sleep or less causes a 12 percent increase in an early death. Overall, I would say that this claim is accurate, as all of my research agrees with this claim. The only piece of information that is not represented in this claim is that oversleeping can lead to an early death too, but since this claim specifically focuses on undersleeping, it doesn’t affect the credibility of the claim. Below are the sources I looked at. 

https://warwick.ac.uk/newsandevents/pressreleases/short_sleep_increases/ 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2864873/#:~:text=People%20reporting%20consistently%20sleeping%205,group%20for%20all%2Dcause%20mortality. 

Answer 4

I would love to know how often a deficiency in sleep affects lifespan. Does sleeping increasingly less actually kill you earlier? While this is so, I feel other things may be equally terrible. For example, could the same be said for not drinking enough water, not eating sufficient food, or not exercising enough? I totally concur that sleep is crucial, but my point is: how much sooner do individuals really die because of sleepdeprivation? What are the statistics on average?