Leaked draft says less than seven hours’ sleep can damage mental and physical health

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

The government could give people guidance on how much sleep they need each night, according to reports.

A leaked draft of a public health green paper, due to be published by the health secretary, Matt Hancock, says the government will review the evidence on sleep and health. It suggests the minimum amount will vary depending on how old someone is, and the paper will give advice on “sleep hygiene”, according to the Times, which obtained the document.

It was reported the guidance was likely to state regularly getting less than seven hours’ sleep a night could damage most people’s health.

The leaked draft says: “This is with a view to informing the case for clear national guidance on the daily recommended hours of sleep for individuals in different age brackets, and to raise awareness of the key ‘sleep hygiene’ factors that can support healthy sleeping.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokeswoman said it did not comment on leaks.

Hancock is due to to publish a public health green paper as part of efforts to improve disease prevention. The Times said much of the green paper focuses on obesity and smoking, but it also makes reference to sleep.

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The leaked draft says: “There’s growing evidence on the health impacts of lack of sleep.

“Failure to sleep between seven and nine hours a night is associated with physical and mental health problems, including an increased risk of obesity, strokes, heart attacks, depression and anxiety … As a first step, the government will review the evidence on sleep and health.”

Surveys by the Sleep Council and YouGov reveal one in three Britons regularly sleep poorly. But studies have shown the value of sleep. Earlier this year, in a study published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, a German team of scientists said they had discovered sleep improves the ability of immune cells to hit their targets and fight off infection.

Last year, the Guardian revealed thousands of children and teenagers face a mounting sleeplessness crisis, with the number of admissions to hospital of young people with sleep disorders rising sharply in six years.

Experts described the phenomenon as a hidden public health problem, putting the surge down to a combination of exploding obesity levels, excessive use of social media before bedtime and a mental health crisis engulfing young people.

The Guardian analysed data from NHS Digital, the health service’s data provider in England, showing admissions by those aged 16 and under with a primary diagnosis of sleep disorder rose from 6,520 in 2012-13 to 9,429 last year.