One More Hour of Sleep Could Change Your Life

ABC World News with Diane Sawyer reports that getting one more hour of sleep each night could improve your health, and change your life.

The report cites a study of heart attacks in Sweden. It found that heart attacks rose by five percent in the week after the spring shift to daylight saving time. The researchers suggested that the results are related to sleep deprivation caused by the time change.

ABC cites another study from the University of Chicago. It found that longer sleep duration was associated with a lower rate of coronary artery calcification. This is a predictor of coronary heart disease.


"Most of these findings are so recent that the average physician is unaware of the link between chronic sleep deprivation and cardiovascular disease," AASM member Dr. Charles Czeisler told ABC.

So what should you do to get that extra hour of nightly sleep? Czeisler advised that you allow yourself more time to wind down at night. You also may need to change habits that are having a negative effect on your sleep.

“I think the key is that people need to learn how to sleep,” AASM member Dr. Lisa Johnston told ABC. She is affiliated with the AASM-accredited Northside Hospital Sleep Disorders Center in Atlanta.

Get tips for better sleep on SleepEducation.com. Contact an AASM-accredited sleep center near you for help with an ongoing sleep problem.