Here’s the exact amount of sleep that you need to stay healthy

Duvet day?

God bless Bank Holidays because it's very likely that you'll spend the majority of your day off curled up in bed, we're not jealous at all. Not even one bit. While you're catching up on some much needed rest, there are always some some people that seem like they can survive on just 3 hours of sleep and multiple cups of coffee. While the energy of these Terminators/Energizer Bunnies is to be admired, they may want to take heed of a recent study that was done by VU University Medical Centre in the Netherlands. By looking at the relationship between sleep duration, insulin sensitivity and the potential onset of diabetes and heart disease, they aimed to ascertain the ideal amount of sleep that people need to stay healthy. Their results found that found that seven hours of sleep is the perfect amount to maintain insulin production and glucose levels, two important factors in preventing weight gain and the early onset of diabetes. Previous research has shown that sleeping less than seven hours can be a factor in disrupting the glucose metabolism in both men and women. There you have it. If you needed an extra excuse for a bit more time in bed then today is your lucky day. Sweet dreams.