I recently read an article about the importance of sleep. There are a number of health risks associated with getting to little sleep. The first one I would highlight...as it is now so important to me... is a higher risk of Colon Cancer! Ahhh.... Yes, you heard me scream! Do I ever get regular sleep--and enough of it? No. Am I the one who just went through that awful colonoscopy only to find out I had precancerous polyps... again. Yes.
A study published in the journal Cancer, found that people who sleep less than 6 hours a night on average had an almost 50% increase in the risk of colorectal adenomas! (that's a precurser to cancer tumors...)
Now I have to tell you that I rarely get 8 hours--the amount of sleep I need to feel good, (and evidently to be healthy!) 5 or 6 hours is more likely. A higher incidence of Colon Cancer isn't the only thing I found...
Women who sleep less than 5 hours each night are 1/3 more likely to develop diabetes say Harvard researchers....
...They also said that women who got less than 7 hours of sleep were at a higher risk for heart disease as well...
...the National Sleep Foundation connects depression with sleep habits...
Isn't this enough to motivate any of us to get to bed earlier? I would write more...but I have to get ready for bed!
Join me on the path to becoming fit, fabulous and free! I believe in living life in crescendo... learning from each other, inspiring each other and growing together. Our light can shine brighter and bolder the more we acknowledge and connect to our innate joy!
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