Sleep and mortality

For over 50 years, doctors and scientists have recognized “the critical importance of sleep to good health and life.”¹ Though initial studies focused on sleep deprivation, the full body of research now shows adverse health impacts for both overly short and long sleep. Atypical sleep duration is associated with adverse medical conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, obesity and physiological stress, along with resultant higher mortality; age, gender and socioeconomic status mediates these relationships.²

This article by Munich Re Life US analyzes the effectiveness of daily sleep duration in stratifying the mortality risk profile of a U.S. insured population simulated from National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) survey data.