The early months of postpartum sleep deprivation could have a lasting effect on physical health, says a report in the journal ‘Sleep Health’. Researchers found that a year after giving birth, the biological age of mothers who slept less than seven hours a night at the six-month mark was three to seven years older than those who logged seven hours or more. Mothers who slept less than seven hours also had shorter telomeres in their white blood cells. Shortened telomeres have been linked to a higher risk of cancers, cardiovascular and other diseases. Sleeping less than seven hours a night is detrimental to health and increases the risk of age-related diseases.
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