Short sleep detrimental in long term
Skimping on sleep in midlife increases stress and strain, and guarantees a poorer quality of life in old age, writes Kathryn Doyle
Working long hours and skimping on sleep in midlife may lead to poorer physical health in old age, according to a study from Finland. A 25-year study of Finnish businessmen found those who worked more than 50 hours a week and slept less than 47 hours weekly when they were middle aged were in worse physical health as old men than peers who had healthier work and sleep habits when they were in their prime. "The results are in line with what we hypothesised, but we were not sure if we would be able to detect these long-term associations," says lead author Dr Mikaela Birgitta von Bonsdorff of the University of Jyvaskyla. She and her co-authors examined a very unique cohort of old businessmen. The researchers used data from the Helsinki Businessmen study to follow the health outcomes for more than 3,000 white men born between 1919 and 1934. About 1,500 of the men had provided clinical characteristics of health, self-rated health, working hours and sleep duration in 1974 when they were in...
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