Wakeful Nights Linked to 83 Diseases, Study Finds

New research indicates that waking up during the night may elevate the risk of developing up to 83 diseases, ranging from heart failure to dementia. While the quantity of sleep is often emphasized, the quality, particularly REM and deep sleep stages, is now shown to be critically important.

Study findings, involving over 95,000 British participants, revealed that greater REM sleep was associated with a lower risk of 83 health issues. Additionally, more deep sleep was linked to a reduced risk of seven conditions, including type 2 diabetes. Conversely, disrupted sleep and frequent wakefulness were connected to higher risks of conditions like anxiety.

The evidence strongly suggests that six to eight hours of sleep per night serves as a vital health safeguard for middle-aged and older adults. Sleeping less than five hours nightly was found to correlate with the highest health risks, increasing the likelihood of developing 37 different conditions.