You Snooze, You Lose: Sleep Habits Linked to Unhealthy Behaviors

May 8, 2008 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - A new study by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suggests people who get too little sleep and those who get too much are more likely to engage in unhealthy behaviors.

The study findings indicate that U.S. adults who usually sleep less than six hours were more likely than adults who slept seven to eight hours to smoke, have five or more drinks in a day, engage in no leisure-time physical activity, and be obese. The same was found to be true among U.S. adults who usually sleep more than nine hours.

Data from the 2004-2006 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) showed about 21% of U.S. adults were cigarette smokers. The number of smokers was lowest among adults who slept seven to eight hours (18%) and higher among adults who slept less than six hours (31%) or nine hours or more (26%). The NCHS found the association between hours of sleep and cigarette smoking was most notable for younger adults.

Overall, about one in five adults (20%) in the NHIS said they had consumed five or more alcoholic drinks in one day in the past year. The data showed prevalence of this behavior was slightly higher among adults who slept six hours or less (22%) than among adults who slept seven to eight hours (19%) or nine hours or more (19%) The association between having five or more drinks in one day and hours of sleep was most notable for men and for younger adults, NCHS said.

According to the NHIS data, about four in 10 adults were physically inactive in their leisure time, with rates of leisure-time physical inactivity lowest among adults who slept six hours (39%) or seven to eight hours (38%). One in four adults were obese (25%), based on self-reported height and weight, and adults who slept less than six hours had the highest rate of obesity (33%) while adults who slept seven to eight hours had the lowest (22%).

The NCHS pointed out that it could not be determined from the data whether sleep habits led to the unhealthy behaviors or vice versa, but it said the findings suggest potential relevance of discussing other health concerns with individuals who seek medical help for sleep problems.

The study is here .

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