Getting less than six hours sleep a night can lead to an early grave, UK and Italian researchers have warned.

They said people regularly having this little sleep were 12% more likely to die over 25 years or less than those who got an "ideal" six to eight hours.

They also found an association between sleeping for more than nine hours and early death, although that much sleep may merely be a marker of ill health.

Sleep journal reports the findings, based on 1.5m people in 16 studies.

The study looked at the relationship between sleep and mortality by reviewing earlier studies from the UK, US and European and East Asian countries.

Premature death from all causes was linked to getting either too little or too much sleep outside of the "ideal" six to eight hours per night.

But while a lack of sleep may be a direct cause of ill-health, ultimately leading to an earlier death, too much sleep may merely be a marker of ill health already, the UK and Italian researchers believe.

Time pressures

Professor Francesco Cappuccio, leader of the Sleep, Health and Society Programme at the UK’s University of Warwick, said: "Modern society has seen a gradual reduction in the average amount of sleep people take and this pattern is more common amongst full-time workers, suggesting that it may be due to societal pressures for longer working hours and more shift-work.

"On the other hand, the deterioration of our health status is often accompanied by an extension of our sleeping time."

If the link between a lack of sleep and death is truly causal, it would equate to over 6.3 million attributable deaths in the UK in people over 16 years of age.

Prof Cappuccio said more work was needed to understand exactly why sleep seemed to be so important for good health.

Professor Jim Horne, of the Loughborough Sleep Research Centre, said other factors may be involved rather than sleep per se.

"Sleep is just a litmus paper to physical and mental health. Sleep is affected by many diseases and conditions, including depression," he said.

And getting improved sleep may not make someone better or live longer, he said.

"But having less than five hours a night suggests something is probably not right.

"Five hours is insufficient for most people and being drowsy in the day increases your risk of having an accident if driving or operating dangerous machinery."

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Playing a video game before bed appears to have only a mild effect on how long it takes a male teenager to fall asleep, a preliminary study suggests.

Those who played a relatively violent video game took only marginally longer to fall asleep than those who watched a relaxing nature documentary.

The Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine study pitted Call of Duty 4 against March of the Penguins.

There is little scientific data on the effects of video games on sleep.

But anecdotal evidence has long suggested that playing such games at night could have a detrimental impact on sleep because the stimulation keeps one awake even after the game has ceased.

To test the theory, researchers at Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia, recruited 13 males between the aged of 14 and 18 with no existing sleep problems.

Soldiers v penguins

On one night they sat beneath the covers playing Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare for 50 minutes – a game in which the player takes on the role of an SAS recruit among others carrying out various violent missions.

On a second night a week later they spent an equal amount of time watching March of the Penguins, the award-winning French documentary which follows the yearly journey of the emperor penguins of Antarctica across vast swathes of ice to their breeding grounds.

Three fell asleep while watching the film, while none dozed off while playing Call of Duty.

The majority of the teenagers did take longer to fall asleep after playing the video game, but most were asleep within seven-and-a-half minutes – only four minutes longer than when they watched March of the Penguins.

"We purposefully chose a very tranquil film to contrast against the very stimulating effect of playing a violent video game in the hope of producing the greatest effect on sleep," said Michael Gradisar, a senior lecturer in clinical child psychology who led the research.

"We were surprised that playing the violent video game did not lead to a much longer time taken to fall asleep."

However he acknowledged there were limitations to the small study, notably that very few teenagers who played would limit their playing time to just 50 minutes a night.

"With greater time invested there could be a greater emotional investment in the game. What happens to the teen’s virtual character could begin to evoke feelings of anxiety or frustration that could have larger effects on their sleep."

And however tranquil March of the Penguins may be, some sleep experts urge no screen activity before bed – be it computer, game or TV.

There has been increasing focus on the quality and length of young people’s sleep, in part because of the impact on concentration but also amid mounting suggestions that poor sleep may be contributing to obesity levels.

A French study published this week found that young men ate 25% more calories a day when they had four hours of sleep the night before compared to when they had slept for eight hours.

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By Huw Willams
Reporter, Good Morning Scotland

Pupils at schools in Glasgow are being given lessons in how to sleep.

The sessions, run by the charity Sleep Scotland, aim to teach pupils tips such as the importance of a bed-time routine and avoiding late-night television.

Experts say teenagers who seem grumpy and uncommunicative could actually be sleep deprived because they go to bed after midnight – even on week nights.

The advice for pupils is that they should be sleeping for more than nine hours a night.

Researchers found that after going to bed at 2300 or midnight, teenagers were staying awake for hours watching television, playing on games consoles, or browsing the internet.

Some pupils were getting as little as four or five hours sleep a night.

‘Shocking’

One of the schools taking part in the project is Bellahouston Academy in south-west Glasgow.

Fiona Patterson, head of health and wellbeing, said the survey results were "absolutely shocking".

"It doesn’t surprise. They can’t function on so little sleep," she said.

"I went to my bed at ten-ish rather than eleven, and I do feel a little bit more awake"

Teenage boy

Sleep Scotland says getting enough sleep boosts academic performance and sporting prowess. However going without can be linked to obesity and a greater risk of depression.

Jane Ansell, director of Sleep Scotland, said: "You wouldn’t send somebody to school without having the right amount of food, so why would you send them without enough sleep"

The charity hopes to use the pilot project to develop a pack which could then be offered to schools across Scotland.

Scotland’s largest teaching union, the EIS, have welcomed the study but say teachers already watch out for all aspects of their pupils’ welfare.

A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said: "We are committed to providing guidance to young people so they can get the right amount of sleep and maximise their learning potential."

One 15-year-old who has attended the first of a series of sessions said he had tried going to bed early as a result of what he had been taught.

"I went to my bed at 10-ish rather than 11, and I do feel a little bit more awake," he said.

"I wasn’t sleeping in French, as I usually do," he added, "so my French teacher is pleased anyway."

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Children questioned for the BBC’s Newsround programme admit video games, mobile phones and the television are keeping them up at night.

The programme sent a questionnaire to 1,000 children aged between nine and 11 at schools across the UK.

Of those, most said they went to bed at about 2130 but a quarter said bedtime was 2200 or later.

Health experts have linked a lack of sleep to problems with concentration, behaviour and school work.

Half of the children who took part in the questionnaire said they were not getting enough sleep and could do with more, the programme-makers say.

A similar number of children said they were staying up to play on computer games or their mobile phones or to watch television.

‘ADHD link’

More than half of the children taking part said they had a television in their bedroom.

Lewis, who is 10 and from Liverpool, told Newsround he shares his bedroom and there are a lot of distractions at bedtime.

"I play on my games. It takes me until 10 o’clock to go to sleep. I am tired in the morning," he said.

For children aged 10, experts recommend at least 10 hours of sleep a night.

Of the children who filled in the questionnaire, 314 out of 1,083 said they went to bed at 2130, 272 said 2100.

A total of 277 said they stayed up until 2200 or later.

Scientists have linked a lack of sleep in children to problems with concentration and schoolwork.

Energy levels can be lower and sleep-deprived children can be irritable or behave badly.

A recent study by academics in Finland suggested a good night’s sleep could reduce hyperactivity and bad behaviour among children.

They said adequate sleep could improve behaviour in healthy children and reduce symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

They said it was estimated that a third of US children do not get enough sleep.

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HEALTH CHECK
By Dave Lee
BBC World Service

As anyone who has unwittingly drifted off at their desk will know – tiredness can really creep up on you when you least need it.

But a new study is offering some good news: it claims to prove that we can bank sleep – and store it up in advance of a tiring event.

Researchers in the US invited a group of volunteers to adjust their sleep patterns so the effect could be monitored.

For a week, one half of the group were allowed extra sleep, while the others were told to keep their sleeping patterns the same.

Then, the following week, they were all sleep-deprived.

"After this week of either extended or habitual sleep per night, all the volunteers came to the lab and they were given three hours of sleep, per night, for a week," explained Tracy Rupp from the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research.

They were then given tasks of varying complication, and tests showed that those who had banked the sleep were "more resilient during the sleep restriction".

"They showed less performance deterioration with regards to reaction time and alertness than the group that had been given the habitual prior sleep," said Ms Rupp.

The tests even showed that a week after the experiment the pre-stored sleepers were recovering better from their sleep deprivation than the habitual sleepers.

"What we’re basically saying is if you fill up your reserves and pay back your sleep debt ahead of time, you’re better equipped to deal with the sleep loss challenge."

Combat sleep

For business people, the research suggests an end to the end-of-the-day slump. But for the military, it could be a life saver.

"Napping has been shown to be very effective, at least improving performance in the short term"

Tracy Rupp

The researchers say that after some more testing the theory could be worked into pre-tour routines for the forces.

"Hopefully the operational planning could take this information into account and give soldiers additional sleep prior to a long term mission," says Ms Rupp.

The next step of research, they say, is to find out exactly why the extra sleep can be banked.

"We’d like to know what’s going on psychologically in the brain.

"Next steps will be to do this sort of study but using brain imaging to see exactly what’s going on in the brain."

Nap time

Unfortunately, for now at least, the research team is unable to determine quite how much time you need to bank for maximum effect.

"My hunch would be that it’s very individualised.

HEALTH CHECK

• Health Checkis the weekly health programme broadcast from theBBC World Service
• It is broadcast on Monday at 1032GMT and repeated at 1532GMT, 2032GMT and on Tuesday at 0132GMT
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"Further research does need to be done to determine exactly how many nights are necessary."

And, as anyone who has tried to get an early night before a big day will know, it’s one thing being in bed – it’s another thing actually nodding off.

"A lot of our volunteers came into the lab and, knowing they had to go to bed at 9pm, were concerned that they would not be able to fall asleep."

"One way you might be able to capitalize and get some extra sleep is napping.

"Although this study didn’t use napping, it has been shown to be very effective, at least improving performance in the short term."

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