8hrs ‘is sweet spot’ for sleep

GETTING six to eight hours of sleep hits the ‘sweet spot’ for avoiding heart attacks or strokes, researchers say.

A study of more than one million adults revealed that those who slept for less than six hours a night were at 11 per cent more risk of getting or dying from heart problems or strokes.

Those who slept for more than eight hours had a 33 per cent increased risk, researchers from the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Centre in Athens told the congress. Emily McGrath, from the British Heart Foundation, said: ‘This suggests there may be a sweet spot between getting too much and getting too little sleep.’