Researchers identify distinct sleep types and their impace on long-term health
/
Photo by Acharaporn Kamornboonyarush: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-person-holding-alarm-clock-1028741/
Poor sleep habits are strongly associated with long-term chronic health conditions, according to decades of research. To better understand this relationship, a team led by researchers in Penn State's College of Health and Human Development identified four distinct patterns that characterize how most people sleep. These patterns are also predictive of long-term health, the researchers said.
Using a national sample of adults from the Midlife in the United States study, the team gathered data on approximately 3,700 participants' sleep habits and their chronic health conditions across two time points 10 years apart. The data included self-reported sleep habits, including sleep regularity and duration, perceived sleep satisfaction and daytime alertness, as well as the number and type of chronic conditions.
Researchers used the data to identify four different sleep patterns.
Good sleepers, who are characterized by optimal sleep habits across all datapoints.Weekend catch-up sleepers, who are characterized by irregular sleep, specifically short average sleep duration, but longer sleep times on weekends or non-workdays.
Click below to view the entire article:
