Do you have a "magic number" for the amount of sleep that you need? Is it wishful thinking . . . or something that you make a priority?
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Researchers from the University of Cambridge say SEVEN hours is the perfect amount of sleep to "maintain strong cognitive performance and mental health."
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The study involved nearly 500,000 adults between the ages of 38 and 73. Each person had to report their sleep patterns . . . and complete cognitive tests.
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The team found insufficient sleep AND excessive sleep were both connected to impaired cognitive performance, like poorer processing speed, visual attention, memory, and problem-solving skills.
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People also experienced more symptoms of anxiety and depression . . . and worse overall well-being if they regularly got less than seven hours, or more.
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Officially, the study wasn't able to determine that poor sleep CAUSES cognitive problems . . . but they say their long-term analyses "appears to support that idea."
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