While we know adults are supposed to get eight hours of sleep a night, you don’t need a team of scientists to tell you you’re not.
However, a team of researchers in France did just that: in a decade-long study, they found that 90% of people didn’t get a good night’s sleep last night … or most any night.
And those who didn’t suffered more than bleary eyes. Out of the 7,200 participants who took part in the study, study authors found that 274 participants developed heart disease or suffered a stroke during the course of the study.
In short, they were healthy when the study started but weren’t a decade later.
The scientists found that the good sleepers in the group, though rare, enjoyed more than a good night’s sleep: they had a 75% lower risk of heart disease or stroke than those who tossed and turned.
Study author Dr. Aboubakari Nambiema noted, “The importance of sleep quality and quantity for heart health should be taught early in life when healthy behaviors become established. Minimizing nighttime noise and stress at work can both help improve sleep.”
Those good sleepers clocked seven to eight hours of shut-eye a night, didn’t need a nap during the day and rarely suffered from insomnia or sleep apnea, either.
Oh, and they were morning people, too.
You would be, too, if you got eight hours of sleep, we reckon.