Can An Extra Hour Of Sleep Save Your Life?

You might be seriously damaging your health by skimping on your nightly slumber...

- Natalia Lubomirski

How many hours did you sleep last night? Seven, eight? or are you someone who thrives on only three or four? Lately, the competition of clocking up only a few hours a night seems to be surging, with busy women regularly claiming to survive on limited shut-eye. Even margaret Thatcher famously ran the country on only four hours’ kip. But what impact is this having on our short- and long-term health?

Every hour counts

According to recent studies, skipping just one hour’s sleep of the recommended seven to nine can have catastrophic effects. A study at the University of Alabama found that heart attacks spike by 10% on the Monday and Tuesday following moving the clocks forward an hour for daylight saving time. If just one hour is having such a detrimental impact, then what about those of us who are regularly reducing our night-time rest?