31 Surprising Scary Facts & Stats about Sleep and Death

Sources:

#1) Roughly 1 in 8 people who die from heart disease will die in their sleep
https://www.mattressclarity.com/sleep-resources/dying-in-your-sleep/

#2) 90% of unexpected deaths during sleep are from sudden cardiac arrest
https://www.unilad.com/news/health/doctor-explains-why-people-die-in-sleep-553112-20231104

#3) Roughly 25 percent of strokes occur during sleep
https://www.iflscience.com/why-do-some-people-die-in-their-sleep-71338

#4) Some people with diabetes may die in their sleep from low glucose levels
https://www.unilad.com/news/health/doctor-explains-why-people-die-in-sleep-553112-20231104

#5) Poor sleep can increase your risk for an early death
https://www.verywellhealth.com/can-sleep-deprivation-cause-your-death-3015067

#6) Sleeping 5 or fewer hours may increase your risk of death by as much as 15%
https://www.nap.edu/read/11617/chapter/1

#7) A study found that men who slept less than 6hrs a night were four times more likely to die over a 14-year period
https://aasm.org/study-finds-an-increased-risk-of-death-in-men-with-insomnia-and-a-short-sleep-duration/

#8) Older adults who sleep regularly and optimally have about a 40% lower risk of dying
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/992942

#9) Poor sleep can increase your risk for life threatening health complications
https://www.ncoa.org/adviser/sleep/sleep-statistics/

#10) Getting only 5 to 6 hrs of sleep can double the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease
https://gitnux.org/sleep-deprivation-death-statistics/

#11) A meta-study involving 2 million people found that insomnia was linked to a 53% increased risk for heart disease-related death
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0291859

#12) Women who experienced unconscious wakefulness often and longer have nearly double the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210419195248.htm

#13) Sleeping too short and too long are BOTH linked to an increased risk of death from cardiovascular and other causes
https://academic.oup.com/sleep/article/47/1/zsad253/7280269

#14) Sleep problems have been linked to a 5-fold rise in stroke risk
https://www.neurology.org/doi/10.1212/WNL.0000000000207249

#15) Less than 6 hrs of nightly sleep is linked to a 4-fold increase in stroke symptoms over a 5 year period
https://gitnux.org/sleep-deprivation-death-statistics/

#16a) Getting too little or too much sleep can raise your risk for diabetes
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/type-2-diabetes-risk-linked-to-sleep-duration-and-sleep-quality

#16b) Middle aged and older adults who slept less than 5 hours were found to be 2.5 times more likely to have diabetes
https://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-93430501056-9/fulltext

#17) Sleeping less than 6 hours in midlife may raise the risk of dementia by 30%
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-22354-2

#18) People with severe sleep apnea have 3 times the risk of dying due to any cause
https://aasm.org/study-shows-that-people-with-sleep-apnea-have-a-high-risk-of-death/

#19) Sleep apnea patients are twice as likely to experience sudden death
https://www.psu.edu/news/research/story/sleep-apnea-increases-risk-sudden-death-cardiovascular-conditions/

#20) Sleep apnea increases a person’s risk for heart attacks or dying by 30% over a period of 4 to 5 years
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070520183533.htm

#21) Severe sleep apnea in middle or old age can up your risk of dying prematurely by up to 46 percent
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/why-do-people-snore-answers-for-better-health

#22) Sleeping less than 6 hours may raise the risk for cancer
https://www.heart.org/en/news/2019/10/02/sleeping-less-than-6-hours-may-raise-risk-of-cancer-even-death

#23) A study found that individuals who slept less than 6 hours had a 41% higher cancer risk than those who slept for 6 to 8 hours
https://www.cancertherapyadvisor.com/home/cancer-topics/general-oncology/lack-of-sleep-linked-to-increased-risk-of-cancer/

#24) Individuals who did not nap during the day had a 60% higher risk of cancer than those who napped
https://www.cancertherapyadvisor.com/home/cancer-topics/general-oncology/lack-of-sleep-linked-to-increased-risk-of-cancer/

#25) Poor sleep has been linked to suicidal thoughts and behavior
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2656315/

#26) Insomnia patients were found to be 5 times more at risk for suicide
https://bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-018-1702-2

#27) Sleep disturbances is a predictor of risk for suicidal symptoms in young adults
https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2017/06/sleep-disturbances-predict-increased-risk-for-suicidal-symptoms.html

#28) Prescription sleep meds have been linked to suicidal thoughts for some individuals
https://jcsm.aasm.org/doi/full/10.5664/jcsm.9096

#29) It’s estimated that worldwide there are 100,000 road accidents every year caused by drowsiness
https://www.emro.who.int/emhj-volume-28-2022/volume-28-issue-9/risk-assessment-of-road-traffic-accidents-related-to-sleepiness-during-driving-a-systematic-review.html

#30) Drivers who get 6 hrs of sleep or less are 33% more likely to have an accident
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/excessive-sleepiness/workplace-accidents

#31) Severe sleep apnea is linked to a 123% increased risk for accidents
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5859531/

One in three individuals struggle with sleep every night
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/wr/mm6506a1.htm?s_cid=mm6506a1_e

The number of individuals who sleep less than 6 hrs has increased over the last 20 years
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK19961/

Quote: “It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.”, Marcus Aurelius
https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/stewart_alsop_104812