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Cited by 663Sleep and related disordersSleep and Work-Related FatigueCircadian rhythm and melatonin

A Prospective Study of Sleep Duration and Mortality Risk in Women

Patel, Sanjay R., Ayas, Najib T., Malhotra, Mark R., White, David P., Schernhammer, Eva S., Speizer, Frank E., Stampfer, Meir J., Hu, Frank B.·2004·Sleep
DOI 10.1093/sleep/27.3.440
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Abstract

STUDY OBJECTIVES: It is commonly believed that 8 hours of sleep per night is optimal for good health. However, recent studies suggest the risk of death is lower in those sleeping 7 hours. We prospectively examined the association between sleep duration and mortality in women to better understand the effect of sleep duration on health. DESIGN: Prospective observational study. SETTING: Community-based. PARTICIPANTS: Women in the Nurses Health Study who answered a mailed questionnaire asking about sleep duration in 1986. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Vital status was ascertained through questionnaires, contact with next of kin, and the National Death Index. During the 14 years of this study (1986-2000), 5409 deaths occurred in the 82,969 women who responded to the initial questionnaire. Mortality risk was lowest among nurses reporting 7 hours of sleep per night. After adjusting for age, smoking, alcohol, exercise, depression, snoring, obesity, and history of cancer and cardiovascular disease, sleeping less than 6 hours or more than 7 hours remained associated with an increased risk of death. The relative mortality risk for sleeping 5 hours or less was 1.15 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02-1.29) for 6 hours, 1.01 (95% CI, 0.94-1.08), for 7 hours, 1.00 (reference group), for 8 hours, 1.12 (95% CI, 1.05-1.20), and for 9 or more hours 1.42 (95% CI, 1.27-1.58). CONCLUSIONS: These results confirm previous findings that mortality risk in women is lowest among those sleeping 6 to 7 hours. Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms by which short and long sleep times can affect health.

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Crossref · 10.1093/sleep/27.3.440

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14 of 14 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • There is a lower mortality risk when individuals sleep 6-7 hours per night.

    “There is a lower mortality risk when individuals sleep 6–7 hours per night.(Patel, Ayas, Malhotra, White, Schernhammer, Speizer, Stampfer, and Hu”

    From Successful aging: Advancing the science of physical independence in older adults (2015) · cites this paper as Patel et al. 2004

  • Those who sleep 7 hours have lower risks of death than those who sleep 8 hours.

    “those who sleep 7 hours have lower risks of death than those who sleep 8 hours (14,(16)(17)(18).”

    From Sleep Duration in the United States: A Cross-sectional Population-based Study (2009) · cites this paper as [18]

  • Self-reported sleep duration is widely used in epidemiologic studies and is the basis of research on the relation between sleep duration and mortality.

    “Self-reported sleep duration is widely used in epidemiologic studies and is the basis of research on the relation between sleep duration and mortality (13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19).”

    From Sleep Duration in the United States: A Cross-sectional Population-based Study (2009) · cites this paper as [18]

  • Multinomial logistic regression models used 7 hours of sleep as the comparison group because that sleep duration is associated with the lowest mortality risk.

    “Multinomial logistic regression models used 7 hours of sleep as the comparison group, because that sleep duration is associated with the lowest mortality risk (14,(16)(17)(18)”

    From Sleep Duration in the United States: A Cross-sectional Population-based Study (2009) · cites this paper as [18]

  • Many covariates have established relations with the risk of death and might account for the relation between sleep duration and mortality.

    “Many of our covariates have established relations with the risk of death (25,65) and might account for the relation between sleep duration and mortality (13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18).”

    From Sleep Duration in the United States: A Cross-sectional Population-based Study (2009) · cites this paper as [18]

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Authors
Patel, S. R., Ayas, N. T., Malhotra, M. R., White, D. P., Schernhammer, E. S., Speizer, F. E., Stampfer, M. J., & Hu, F. B.
Affiliations
  • Brigham and Women's Hospital (US)
  • University of British Columbia (CA)
  • Harvard University (US)
Corresponding author
Patel, Sanjay R.
ORCID
Venue
Sleep
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Published
2004-05
Volume
27
Issue
3
Pages
440-444
ISSN
  • 0161-8105 (ISSN-L)
  • 1550-9109
DOI
10.1093/sleep/27.3.440
OpenAlex
W2171647161
Cited by
663
References
14
Citations by year
2026: 8 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 26 · 2022: 21 · 2021: 25 · 2020: 20 · 2019: 33 · 2018: 31 · 2017: 35 · 2016: 38 · 2015: 39 · 2014: 46 · 2013: 56 · 2012: 29
FWCI
35.26
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • SLEEP (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (HL-48531, P50HL060292, R01HL048531, T32HL007633)
  • National Cancer Institute (CA-87969, P01CA087969)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and related disorders
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and Work-Related Fatigue
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Circadian rhythm and melatonin
Keywords
sleep duration, mortality risk, women, Nurses' Health Study, short sleep duration, long sleep, optimal sleep duration, excess mortality
MeSH terms
Adult, Chronic Disease, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Middle Aged, Prospective Studies, Surveys and Questionnaires, Risk Factors, Sleep, Time Factors, Body Mass Index

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