Sleeping consistently for less than six hours a night can cause an early death, but too much sleep could also mean problems, according to a study that claims to have found unequivocal evidence of the potential harm from abnormal sleep patterns.

The research, by academics in the UK and Italy, analysed data from 16 separate studies across Europe, the US and Asia over 25 years, covering more than 1.3m people and more than 100,000 deaths.

It found that those who generally slept for less than six hours a night were 12% more likely to experience a premature death over a period of 25 years than those who consistently got six to eight hours’ sleep. Evidence for the link was unequivocal, the researchers concluded.

The study, published in the scientific journal Sleep, was carried out by a team from the University of Warwick and the Federico II University medical school in Naples. Peter Walker, The Guardian.

What’s meant by consistently I guess 5 days-a-week’s pretty consistent – well that’s me done for. Still expect a study long soon that concludes a lack of sleep is good for you – then again I’m always wary of newspaper reports on scientific studies – journalists seem unable to grasp facts instead preferring headlines – as always you need to pay to see the full study – so I can’t comment on its veracity.