Washington, June 11 (IANS) Do you stay awake till the wee hours of the night? Are you a poor sleeper? Then you may be at increased risk of death.
According to the latest research it is both quality and quantity that is important for maintaining health.

Results suggest that over the average follow-up of eight years, 854 of the 5,614 participants died. Two sleep-stage transition types were associated with higher mortality risk: wake-to-non-REM and non-REM-to-wake.

According to Alison Laffan, lead author, from the California Pacific Medical Centre, “mounting evidence from a number of studies shows that poor sleep increases risk for adverse health outcomes.”

“In light of this growing body of evidence, people should strive to maintain good sleep habits, such as going to bed and getting up at the same time each day and sleeping for seven to eight hours each night,” said Laffan.

The study involved 5,614 Sleep Heart Health Study participants. Health outcomes were watched carefully for the following eight years.

Findings of this study were presented at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.