Sleep: The Importance of Sleeping
7 to 8 Hours per Night

Since 1962, researchers at the Human Population Laboratory of the California Department of Health had studied the relationship of health to various behaviors or habits. Health and longevity are associated with the following:

• Adequate sleep (7 to 8 hours per day)
• A good breakfast
• Regular meals — avoid snacks
• Weight control
• Not smoking cigarettes
• Moderate alcohol consumption
• Regular exercise

When men or women sleep 6 hours or less per night they are not as healthy as when they sleep 7 or 8 hours. Those who sleep 9 hours or more are slightly below average in health. Thus, 7 to 8 hours of sleep is most favorable, and as you might expect, too little sleep is more of a problem than too much.