Sleep
Betwixt the usual interesting musical offerings from Radio FM this am, a snippet on a major study about sleep and lifespan. Seems that 6 to 7 hours, rather than 8, is optimum, at least for longevity. Large epidemiological study, hence causuality cannot necessarily be assigned and there's still a problem with confounding - I'd have to actually read the papers to see how they addressed the potential for confounders such as ill-health (liable to disrupt sleep patterns) or socioeconomic status (the 6 to 7 hour a night people are liable to have stable work-lives rather than be unemployed or insecure in their jobs), both of which influence lifespan. And who's to know whether 6 to 7 hours sleep leads to longer lifespan, or the vitality required for longer lifespan allows tolerance of the 6 to 7 hours.

But maybe it will turn out to be like food and a little deprivation promotes longevity. Now, who was it who came up with the joke about the doctor who tells his patient to give up drinking, smoking and sex, with the punchline that even if it doesn't make him live longer, it will certainly feel like it does?
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