Doctor warns getting just 5 hours of sleep per night can lead to 'an early death'

A doctor has explained why getting just five hours of sleep per night can lead to a shorter life expectancy.

I think we're all aware that eight hours of kip is the idea number for a night's sleep, but that's not always possible to achieve.

Whether it be an early shift to get up for, or just a stressful life event that is keeping you awake at night, achieving those magic eight hours is often difficult.

Of course, there are some people out there that can function on five or six hours of sleep, but a doctor turned TikToker has explained why this can be detrimental for your health.

In fact, Dan Friedrich explained in a viral video how consistently getting too little sleep can lead to 'an early death'.

"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," he said.

"And so studies have shown again and again that the optimal amount of sleep is between six and eight hours a night, preferably at least seven."

He 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.

"Increased mortality all across the board, cardiovascular disease, all types of diseases are associated with sleeping that little."

Research and studies over the years have linked sleep deprivation to an increased risk of neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s, while those who regularly have less than six hours sleep are at higher risk of having a stroke, heart disease, kidney disease and diabetes.

In a 2022 study, a group of US-based researchers discovered that people who sleep for less than 4.5 hours and more than 6.5 hours are more likely to experience cognitive decline.

Writing for The Conversation, senior psychology lecturer Greg Elder penned: "The study showed that sleeping longer than 6.5 hours was associated with cognitive decline over time – this is low when we consider that older adults are recommended to get between seven and eight hours of sleep every night.

“It could be the case that it isn’t necessarily the length of the sleep that matters, but the quality of that sleep when it comes to risk of developing dementia.”

According to Healthline, 18- to 64-year-olds should aim for between seven and nine hours every night, while those 65+ need seven-eight hours kip.