WASHINGTON – There may be more to a good night’s sleep than meets the (shut) eye.
Fitness Magazine compiled a list of sleep-related syndromes, with eye-opening results.
For instance, Duke University ties a lack of sleep to cardiovascular disease in women and says that women need more sleep than men. Duke also says women who don’t get enough sleep are more prone to being depressed and angry.
The World Health Organization says that people who work night shifts are at increased ricks of certain forms of cancer, including breast cancer.
Then there is that pesky flu shot. According to researchers at the University of Chicago and Ohio State University, if people are sleep deprived when they get their annual flu shot, it may take longer for the shot to take effect.
For married couples, if one spouse tosses and turns, the other loses an average of 49 minutes of sleep per night.
But the strongest evidence comes once a year. When people spring forward, the loss of one hour of sleep leads to a 17 percent increase in traffic accidents and a five percent increase in the number of heart attacks reported.
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