The objective of this narrative review paper is to discuss about sleep duration needed across the lifespan. Sleep duration varies widely across the lifespan and shows an inverse relationship with age. Sleep duration recommendations issued by public health authorities are important for surveillance and help to inform the population of interventions, policies, and healthy sleep behaviors. However, the ideal amount of sleep required each night can vary between different individuals due to genetic factors and other reasons, and it is important to adapt our recommendations on a case-by-case basis. Sleep duration recommendations (public health approach) are well suited to provide guidance at the population-level standpoint, while advice at the individual level (eg, in clinic) should be individualized to the reality of each person. A generally valid assumption is that individuals obtain the right amount of sleep if they wake up feeling well rested and perform well during the day. Beyond sleep quantity, other important sleep characteristics should be considered such as sleep quality and sleep timing (bedtime and wake-up time). In conclusion, the important inter-individual variability in sleep needs across the life cycle implies that there is no “magic number” for the ideal duration of sleep. However, it is important to continue to promote sleep health for all. Sleep is not a waste of time and should receive the same level of attention as nutrition and exercise in the package for good health.
BackgroundSleep is an important contributor to physical and mental health; however, chronic sleep deprivation has become common in adolescents, especially on weekdays. Adolescents aged 14–17 years are recommended to sleep between 8 and 10 h per night to maximize overall health and well-being. Although sleep needs may vary between individuals, sleep duration recommendations are important for surveillance and help inform policies, interventions, and the population of healthy sleep behaviors. Long sleepers are very rare among teenagers and sleeping too much is not a problem per se; only insufficient sleep is associated with adverse health outcomes in the pediatric population. Causes of insufficient sleep are numerous and chronic sleep deprivation poses a serious threat to the academic success, health and safety of adolescents. This article focuses on the link between insufficient sleep and obesity in adolescents.DiscussionThis “call to action” article argues that sleep should be taken more seriously by the public health community and by our society in general, i.e., given as much attention and resources as nutrition and physical activity. Not only that having a good night’s sleep is as important as eating a healthy diet and being regularly physically active for overall health, but sleeping habits also impact eating and screen time behaviors and, therefore, can influence body weight control.SummaryShort sleep duration, poor sleep quality, and late bedtimes are all associated with excess food intake, poor diet quality, and obesity in adolescents. Sleep, sedentary behavior, physical activity and diet all interact and influence each other to ultimately impact health. A holistic approach to health (i.e., the whole day matters) targeting all of these behaviors synergistically is needed to optimize the impact of our interventions. Sleep is not a waste of time and sleep hygiene is an important factor to consider in the prevention and treatment of obesity.
The objective of this systematic review was to examine the associations between sleep timing (e.g., bedtime/wake-up time, midpoint of sleep), sleep consistency/regularity (e.g., intra-individual variability in sleep duration, social jetlag, catch-up sleep), and health outcomes in adults aged 18 years and older. Four electronic databases were searched in December 2018 for articles published in the previous 10 years. Fourteen health outcomes were examined. A total of 41 articles, including 92 340 unique participants from 14 countries, met inclusion criteria. Sleep was assessed objectively in 37% of studies and subjectively in 63% of studies. Findings suggest that later sleep timing and greater sleep variability were generally associated with adverse health outcomes. However, because most studies reported linear associations, it was not possible to identify thresholds for “late sleep timing” or “large sleep variability”. In addition, social jetlag was associated with adverse health outcomes, while weekend catch-up sleep was associated with better health outcomes. The quality of evidence ranged from “very low” to “moderate” across study designs and health outcomes using GRADE. In conclusion, the available evidence supports that earlier sleep timing and regularity in sleep patterns with consistent bedtimes and wake-up times are favourably associated with health. (PROSPERO registration no.: CRD42019119534.) Novelty This is the first systematic review to examine the influence of sleep timing and sleep consistency on health outcomes. Later sleep timing and greater variability in sleep are both associated with adverse health outcomes in adults. Regularity in sleep patterns with consistent bedtimes and wake-up times should be encouraged.
The objective of this overview of systematic reviews was to examine the associations between sleep duration and health outcomes in adults. Four electronic databases were searched in December 2018 for systematic reviews published in the previous 10 years. Included reviews met the a priori determined population (community-dwelling adults aged 18 years and older), intervention/exposure/comparator (various levels of sleep duration), and outcome criteria (14 outcomes examined). To avoid overlap in primary studies, we used a priority list to choose a single review per outcome; reviews that examined the effect of age and those that looked at dose–response were prioritized. A total of 36 systematic reviews were eligible and 11 were included. Reviews included comprised 4 437 101 unique participants from 30 countries. Sleep duration was assessed subjectively in 96% of studies and 78% of studies in the reviews were prospective cohort studies. The dose–response curves showed that the sleep duration that was most favourably associated with health was 7–8 h per day. Modification of the effect by age was not apparent. The quality of the evidence ranged from low to high across health outcomes. In conclusion, the available evidence suggests that a sleep duration of 7–8 h per day is the one most favourably associated with health among adults and older adults. (PROSPERO registration no.: CRD42019119529.) Novelty This is the first overview of reviews that examines the influence of sleep duration on a wide range of health outcomes in adults. Seven to 8 h of sleep per day was most favourably associated with health. Effect modification by age was not evident.
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