People Who Sleep Less Are More At Risk Of Dying Sooner

We all know what it's like - you lie there for hours on end, waiting for it to end, waiting for a time when you can finally have some peace.

But enough about my sex life, apparently sleep deprivation is also pretty bad, and it could be killing you a lot quicker than you think.

According to new research, sleeping less could be inextricably linked to shorter life span, and loads of us are guilty of not getting the correct amount of sleep.

Sleep experts recommend that you get between seven and nine hours of sleep each night. As we know, that is sometimes not possible, or practical. However, that's how much you're supposed to get, and not doing so has consequences.

These consequences can have a huge detrimental effect on your physical and mental health. For example, people who are sleep deprived are at greater risk of certain cancers such as colon and breast cancer.

It can also increase feelings of loneliness, which is a vicious circle, because it's much harder to sleep when you feel lonely. Best not to get into the cycle at all, really.

Ever find yourself forgetting stupid things when you're tired? Of course you do. That's another factor. Short term memory takes a hit when we're not sleeping enough. It also makes learning new things harder.

Basically, even a few nights of sleeplessness can cause problems, but over a long time period these just get worse. Sleep is really important.

On top of being more at risk of certain cancers, heart disease risk becomes greater, as does the risk of catching something less serious - but still annoying - like a cold.

You'll be irritable, clumsy, lazy, more at risk of depression, easily distracted, and it's generally going to suck. I guess 'make sure you get the correct amount of sleep' is the take-home message from this.

Don't worry though, if you don't sleep well there are things you can do. Getting your head out of your bloody phone is one of them.

The blue light your phone gives off disrupts your body's natural clock or 'circadian rhythms' that control when you sleep and wake up.

Getting shut of the phone a few hours before bed means that you will start to feel tired at the correct time - i.e. when it is dark.

There are other things that can help: making lists of things that stress you out, therapy, all sorts. They're all good options and definitely worth it now that you've seen what not sleeping can do to you.

Hopefully that knowledge won't keep you awake at night.