Sleeeeeeeep

Keeps ticker in good nick

A good sleep routine leaves the heart happy.

An American Academy of Sleep Medicine study revealed those who get by on less than six hours per night raise their risk of heart disease.

Wards off diabetes

Those who snooze more than six hours a night are less likely to develop Type 2 diabetes.

If you get less kip than this, your risk of the condition rises by 15 per cent, a US study at Harvard University found.

Keeps you trim

Getting too little sleep makes us crave carbs, according to a study by US researchers.

It showed we scoff up to 50 per cent more after a poor night’s rest, which means you are more likely to put on weight.

Protects brain

Too little shut-eye causes a loss of brain tissue and function.

Research at Uppsala University, in Sweden, discovered just one night’s poor sleep can have an adverse effect on the brain.

Longevity

Getting at least 7.5 hours’ sleep a night can help you live longer.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine found that if you get just six hours, your chance of dying prematurely goes up four times.

THERE are five stages of sleep which alternate, in various orders, in four to five cycles through the night. You need them all for good health.

They are:

Stage 1: A light sleep where you can be woken easily. You are ikely to experience muscle contractions.

Stage 2: Brain waves and heart rate slow. Body temperature drops.

Stage 3: Deep sleep. Slow brainwaves alternate with smaller, quicker ones.

Stage 4: Deep sleep deepens.

Stage 5: Rapid eye movement (REM). This is where the brain mimics its waking state and the most vivid dreams occur

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