How much sleep do you really need? There is a new answer | By Ed Ergenzinger, JD, PhD | To be well

health

New research finds that the amount of sleep you need may depend in part on your culture.

Sleep is crucial to peak health. Some adverse health effects It is attributed to lack of sleep These include obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, depressionPoor immune function, increased pain, poor performance, and increased risk of accidents.

normal wisdom It dictates that each person needs approximately eight hours of sleep daily to function properly. This is in line with Past recommendations According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and the Sleep Research Society (SRS), every adult should sleep 7 or more hours per night for optimal health.

However, in a recent study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ( Banas)Researchers found that not everyone needs the same amount of sleep to be healthy. In fact, the optimal amount of sleep for you may depend on your culture.

Scientists from the University of British Columbia (UBC) and the University of Victoria (UVic) analyzed data on sleep and health outcomes for nearly 5,000 people in 20 countries across North America, Europe, Asia, Africa and South America. First, they confirmed previous findings…