poorly controlled study with doubtful significance
I remember reading this article and remarking on the lack of
controls. There was no control for medication use (except for perhaps a
few selected meds?), quality of sleep, and MOST IMPORTANTLY co-morbidity.
It is logical that many very ill folks will 'sleep longer' and also live
longer. These are just the tip of the iceberg of the problems with this
observational data with myriad potential confounds. Of course an initial
study like this may not be intended to address all the subtleties
(although the authors could have tried a little harder), but let's call it
like it is. An observation without any significance until the confounds
are dealt with.
Rapid Response:
poorly controlled study with doubtful significance
I remember reading this article and remarking on the lack of
controls. There was no control for medication use (except for perhaps a
few selected meds?), quality of sleep, and MOST IMPORTANTLY co-morbidity.
It is logical that many very ill folks will 'sleep longer' and also live
longer. These are just the tip of the iceberg of the problems with this
observational data with myriad potential confounds. Of course an initial
study like this may not be intended to address all the subtleties
(although the authors could have tried a little harder), but let's call it
like it is. An observation without any significance until the confounds
are dealt with.
Competing interests: No competing interests