Six to eight hours sleep a night is most beneficial for the heart. with more or less shut-eye potentially heightening the risk of coronary artery disease or a stroke, researchers have warned.
研究人員表示，每晚六到八小時的睡眠對心臟最好，更多或更少的睡眠時間可能會增加冠狀動脈病或中風的風險。
Using data from more than one million adults, scientists found that both sleep deprivation and excessive hours in bed should be avoided for optimum heart health.
科學家收集了一百多萬成年人的數據，發現睡眠缺失或是過多睡眠都對心臟不好。
Compared to adults who got six to eight hours of slumber a night, "short sleepers" had an 11 per cent greater risk while "long sleepers" had a 33 per cent increased risk over the next nine years, the researchers said.
研究人員通過比較成年人的睡眠時間，發現少於六小時的睡眠會在未來九年為心臟額外帶來11%的風險，而睡眠過多導致的患心臟病風險增加33%。
"More research is needed to clarify exactly why, but we do know that sleep influences biological processes like glucose metabolism, blood pressure, and inflammations – all of which have an impact on cardiovascular disease."
“需要做更多的研究才能解釋其中的原因，但是我們都知道睡眠會影響葡萄糖代謝、血壓、炎症這樣的生理過程，而這些都會導致心血管疾病。”
"Having the odd short night or lie-in is unlikely to be detrimental to health, but evidence is accumulating that prolonged nightly sleep deprivation or excessive sleeping should be avoided," Dr Fountas added.
福特醫生說：“偶爾睡眠不夠或者賴床沒什麼問題，但是不能長期保持這樣的作息。”
Emily McGrath, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, stressed that getting a good night’s sleep was important for good health.
英國心臟機構的高級心臟科護士艾米麗·米格瑞強調，睡個好覺對身體健康非常重要。
She said: "When it comes to our heart and circulatory health, this large study suggests that there may be a sweet spot between getting too much, and getting too little sleep.
“睡眠時間應該有個合適的點，對心臟和血液循環都有好處。”
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