Doctor's stark warning as sleeping for specific amount of time every night could lead you to an 'early death'

According to experts, there's a specific amount of time you should aim to sleep to avoid an 'early death'.

Unfortunately night owls, the negative effects of getting less sleep than recommended can have long-term health effects that go far beyond a slight headache and heavy eyelids the next morning.

Official advice from the NHS states that adults should aim to get some shut-eye for anywhere from seven to nine hours a night, which might prove difficult with the demands of everyday lives.

It's often said that little things can make a big difference, whether it's avoiding late-night social media doom-scrolling or watching Netflix until you fall asleep. Experts at Calm recommend turning screens off for 30 to 60 minutes before bed for those looking to achieve optimal sleep hygiene.

Dr Dan Friederich took to TikTok to explain why sleep is so important to your wellbeing on his account @drdanfreiderich, claiming that it could shorten your life in the long run.

"If you think that you can survive on only four to five hours of sleep every night, you're going to have an early death," the medical professional claimed.

He added that studies have highlighted that 'the optimal amount of sleep is between six and eight hours a night, preferably at least seven', similar to advice from the NHS.

Dr Friederich continued: "If you go more than nine hours it's also bad for your health, but sleeping less than five is the worst thing you could possibly be doing."

Apparently, it 'increased mortality', with 'cardiovascular disease' or 'all types of diseases' having a link to a lack of sleep, while other studies say that 'under-sleeping' can have a huge effect on your health.

According to research from University College London which involved 7,864 people over the age of 50 across the UK, the older you are, the higher your chances are of suffering from health issues linked to sleep deprivation.

Exercise and exposure to light in the day can help with sleep, with large meals or using electronic devices advised against before bed.

Dr Severine Sabia, the lead author of the study, highlighted: "Multimorbidity (the presence of two or more long-term health conditions) is on the rise in high-income countries and more than half of older adults now have at least two chronic diseases.

"This is proving to be a major challenge for public health, as multimorbidity is associated with high healthcare service use, hospitalisations and disability."

We should all aim to have a dark, quiet bedroom at a good temperature for a good rest, while sleep hygiene is also encouraged.