Putting in a good showing at the office is vital for ambitious professionals, particularly in these uncertain times. But if your workaholism need to be seen by colleagues at all hours is keeping you from the required minimum of beauty sleep then you risk an early death.

At the same time, 9-hours-a-night types are also risking their lives.

BBC: Professor Jim Horne, of the Loughborough Sleep Research Centre, said other factors may be involved rather than sleep per se. “Sleep is just a litmus paper to physical and mental health. Sleep is affected by many diseases and conditions, including depression,” he said.

UK and Italian researchers warned of the dangers in the Sleep journal using findings based on 1.5m people in 16 studies.