A recent study revealed that people's sleeping habits can be classified into one of four categories, according to the British "Daily Mail." The study's findings indicated that individuals in two of the four categories are at least 30% more likely to develop a range of health conditions, including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and depression. Scientists at the College of Health and Human Development at Pennsylvania State University tracked the sleep habits of nearly 3,700 participants over a decade. Using data from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study, researchers examined how middle-aged participants assessed their sleep between 2004 and 2014 in an effort to determine how sleep patterns change with age and how these patterns relate to the development of chronic conditions.
**Four Sleep Patterns**
The analysis by Penn State researchers identified four distinct sleep categories: those who sleep well, those who sleep on weekends, those suffering from insomnia, and those who take naps. Individuals who sleep well reported consistent long sleeping hours and felt satisfied with their sleep and alertness during the day. Those who sleep on weekends typically experience irregular or shorter sleep during the week but sleep longer on weekends. Surprisingly, more than half of the study's participants were classified in the two worst sleeping categories: insomnia and those who take naps.
**Insomnia Issues**
Individuals suffering from insomnia experienced difficulty sleeping and obtained less sleep overall compared to the other groups. Those with insomnia reported feeling more fatigued during the day and less happy during their sleep.
**Frequent Napping**
The last sleep category identified was individuals who regularly take naps; these individuals generally had consistent nighttime sleep but reported taking frequent naps during the day.
**Disease Risk**
The research team investigated the disease risk patterns among the different sleep groups, excluding contributing factors such as underlying health conditions, socioeconomic factors, and work environment. They discovered that those with insomnia faced a 28% to 81% higher risk for heart disease, diabetes, and depression compared to those who sleep well. Additionally, those who take naps were found to have a 128% higher diabetes risk compared to good sleepers and a 62% increased risk of frailty. Researchers suggest that the latter outcome may be linked to the rising frequency of napping with age.
**Dementia and Strokes**
Previous studies have found that insufficient sleep can increase the risk of dementia, stroke, heart attacks, and liver disease. One study concluded that about 83% of people with depression also suffer from insomnia.
**Sleep Deprivation and Stress**
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), inadequate sleep means the body and mind do not have enough time to repair and recover from daily stressors – and chronic stress has been shown to be a factor in several diseases.
**Risks of Oversleeping**
Though counterintuitive, doctors have also pointed out the risks associated with oversleeping. According to Johns Hopkins University, excessive sleep, as seen in those who take naps, is linked with increased risk of diabetes, heart disease, obesity, depression, and headaches.
**Napping and Diabetes**
Some studies have suggested that napping does not lead to diabetes; rather, diabetes can cause fatigue that increases the need for napping.
**Body Mass Index**
Another theory suggests that individuals who take naps tend to have higher body mass indexes, thus being at greater risk for diabetes, while another theory posits that oversleeping leads to increased inflammation in the body.
**Unemployment and Lower Education**
According to the lead researcher of the study, Sumi Lee, director of the Sleep, Stress, and Health Laboratory at Penn State University, unemployed individuals and those with lower education levels were more likely to fall into the insomnia category. A previous study from the University of Glasgow found similar results, demonstrating that unemployed individuals tend to have poorer sleep than employed individuals, indicating that environmental factors may significantly affect sleep quality.
