Failing to get a good night's rest could be more important than you think as a new study comes to some shocking conclusions.

Most people know the importance of getting plenty of sleep, even if you struggle to get the recommended amount.

But what actually IS the recommended amount of sleep a person should get each night?

Well, a new study breaks down exactly how much that is, as well as the dangers of getting too little and, believe it or not, too much. For optimal health, adults are encouraged to get seven to nine hours each night but only an estimated 30 to 45 percent of American adults are actually getting that much.

The study by Vanderbilt University reported that subpar sleep can increase the risk of premature death by up to 29% percent.

Sleep epidemiologist Dayna Johnson was not involved in the study but commented on the findings, as well as the significance of looking into the science of sleep.

She said: “This study highlights the importance of maintaining healthy sleep over time.

“It also raises critical questions about the potential for recovery from insufficient sleep and the time required to reverse its effects on health outcomes.”

The researchers analyzed the sleep habits of nearly 47,000 low-income adults 40 to 79 years old, and the participants then shared the average sleep duration they would have, five years apart.

Sleep duration was categorized as short (<7 hours), healthy (7-9 hours), and long (>9 hours) based on current recommendations.

The sleep habits that resulted in the shocking increased risk of premature death appeared to be from shifting from one sleep duration category to another.

According to the study, The habits (aka the Suboptimal categories) were:

• Transition from healthy sleep duration to short (healthy-short) or long (healthy-long) durations
• Maintaining short sleep durations (short-short)
• Transition from short to healthy (short-healthy) or short to long (short-long) durations
• Maintaining long durations (long-long),
• Transition from long to healthy (long-healthy) or long to short (long-short) durations

Now before you start panicking, the scientists behind the study advised against reading too deeply into their findings. They said this was because the sleep data represents only two points in time.

Ultimately, it seems the best option is to focus on getting the best quality and healthy sleep each night for as long as possible.

Easier said than done but its worth focusing on it for your health.