Laura Cummings : Waking up to the dangers of a lack of sleep

WE'VE all been there. Your extra strong coffee is doing little to prevent your eyes from closing and it's only just after 9am.

The recommended eight hours of sleep was far from reached the night before and within what seemed like minutes of reaching the land of nod, the alarm was ringing in your ear and it was time for another day at work.

But if recent research is anything to go by, feeling tired and lethargic should be the least of our worries when it comes to problems associated with not getting enough shuteye.

The research, conducted by academics in the UK and Italy, found that those who generally slept for less than six hours a night were 12 per cent more likely – over a period of 25 years – to experience a premature death than people who consistently got the recommended six to eight hours' sleep. Researchers also confirmed evidence for the link was "unequivocal".

The damning statistics failed to shock Jessica Alexander of the Sleep Council – a national organisation which promotes the benefits to health and wellbeing of a good night's sleep.

"The research really just confirms the building body of evidence that not getting enough sleep has consequences which run past feeling a bit tired – it has serious consequences for our long-term health," she says.

"Sleep should be given the same priority as exercise and diet."

Mrs Alexander adds: "There are also reports suggesting that people who sleep more than nine hours each night are also more likely to have a shortened life span because it can be a symptom of other health issues, such as mental problems and depression.

"Studies seem to suggest that there is a range of a right amount of sleep, and on either side of that is not necessarily good."

Rather worryingly, previous research into lack of sleep has found a connection with ailments including heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity and even diabetes.

"You're definitely exposing yourself to a greater potential for a number of quite serious health issues," Mrs Alexander says.

It's not just adults who aren't getting enough sleep – the Sleep Council pointed out that children are getting far less sleep than their counterparts 30 years ago due to time spent surfing the internet and social networking sites.

The results of a recent scheme found that giving pupils an hour's lie-in each morning boosted their brain power and reduced absenteeism.

The traditional 9am starts at Monkseaton High School on Tyneside were pushed back to 10am last October, in the wake of research showing teenagers' body clocks were slower than those of adults.

Headmaster Paul Kelley said GCSE results in maths and English in January were significantly improved on the scores in January 2009, while long-term absence dropped by 27 per cent because of the changes to the start of the school day.

Similar schemes in Germany and the United States have led to improvements in exam scores and cuts in truancy and depression.

However, just 60 per cent of parents at the school voted for the new start time and the teachers were also split.

Jane Ansell, director of Edinburgh-based charity Sleep Scotland, says: "There's a relationship between the amount of sleep you get and concentration and alertness, and the ability to consolidate information and thus perform in exams."

Mrs Alexander adds: "A lack of sleep has been linked to our ability to memorise and also our ability to take on new information."

But struggling to retain information is a far cry from the problems experienced by people suffering from real sleep deprivation, with irritability, hallucinations and even paranoia all associated problems. Quality is just as vital as quantity with sleep, too.

Mrs Alexander says: "It's much better to get six good, completely restful hours' sleep than to toss and turn in an uncomfortable bed for eight or nine hours."

So just why exactly are we not getting enough sleep?

Professor Francesco Cappuccio, who led the recent study, says: "Modern society has seen a gradual reduction in the average amount of sleep people take, and this is more common amongst full-time workers, suggesting that it may be due to societal pressures for longer working hours and more shift work."

Ms Ansell adds: "Sleep is very important and sleep deprivation has been used as a torture method. If people are without it for a long time, it certainly can affect their mental health."