One of the most common New Year’s resolutions is people promising themselves, or their loved ones, that they will finally quit smoking. And it’s a commendable endeavor, as we have all heard about the health risks of smoking, including heart disease and lung cancer. But did you know that smoking is a risk factor for sleep apnea, too? 

When you’re feeling sluggish, the first thought is often “Looks like I need to go to bed early tonight.” And while more sleep is always a good thing, a study recently published by the University of Sydney challenges the assumption that the amount of hours spent asleep is the sole determiner in how rested you feel.

Sleep plays a vital role in mental and physical health. Most of us know that getting too little sleep is bad — after a night of poor rest, we feel how sleep deprivation affects our mood and performance the next day. And there is plenty of research out there to back this up, with the general consensus being that the optimal amount of sleep is 7-8 hours. The preliminary results from the world’s largest sleep study fall in line with previous research results, but with a surprising twist: that sleeping more than 7-8 hours is just as harmful as sleeping less than that time. How are those who get less than or more than 7-8 hours of sleep affected?

(more…)