Research
Adherence
Short sleep duration (< 7 hours per night) and long sleep duration (> 8 hours per night) are both associated with increased levels of inflammatory markers (IL-6 and CRP) and higher all-cause mortality risk compared to normal sleep (7-8 hours).
Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep per night. Both sleeping less than 7 hours and more than 8 hours is associated with increased inflammation (IL-6, CRP) and higher mortality risk. Prioritize consistent, adequate sleep duration over excessive sleep.
GoodQualifiesHIGH confidence
Short sleep duration (< 7 h per night) was associated with increased IL-6 (ES: 0.29 (0.05–0.52)), while long sleep duration (> 8 h per night) was also associated with increased IL-6 (ES: 0.11 (0.02–0.20)) but also increased CRP (ES: 0.17 (0.01–0.34)) [18]. Similarly, a meta-analysis of sleep duration and all-cause mortality demonstrated a U-shaped association, whereby long sleep (> 8 h per night) has a 30% (RR: 1.30 (1.22–1.38)) greater risk while short sleep (<7 h per night) has a 12% (RR: 1.12 (1.06–1.18)) greater risk compared to normal sleep reference (7–8 h per night) [25].
Why this rating
Based on meta-analyses cited in the review, providing strong statistical evidence for the U-shaped association.
Source
Sleep and Nutrition Interactions: Implications for Athletes
Rónán Doherty et al. · Nutrients · 2019
DOI 10.3390/nu11040822
narrative_reviewCited 177×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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