Does your competent? doctor even have a sleep protocol for you? And sleeping pills don't count, we got handed sleeping pills regularly at 10pm.
One factor may affect aging most, and it’s not diet and exercise
One specific factor might be most responsible for how a person ages, and—somewhat counterintuitively—it’s not how much you move, but rather how much you rest.
In a study published to Sleep Advances, researchers took a closer look at how sleep could predict mortality outcomes, and they found that proper sleep—even more than a healthy diet and regular exercise—was linked to increased longevity.
In fact, the only factor that was more predictive than poor sleep in earlier mortality was smoking.
‘I didn’t expect it’
The results were so strong that even the researchers were startled by the findings.
“I didn’t expect it to be so strongly correlated to life expectancy,” senior author Andrew McHill, Ph.D., associate professor in the Oregon Health and Science School of Nursing, said in a press release.
“We’ve always thought sleep is important, but this research really drives that point home: People really should strive to get seven to nine hours of sleep if at all possible.”.
‘Striking’ Results
Previous research has shown the importance of sleep. Newsweek has previously covered REM sleep, which is tied to a lower risk of 83 different diseases.
Light in the bedroom, which disrupts restful sleep, has been shown to have negative impacts on individual’s heart health.
Not getting enough sleep, meanwhile, was previously tied to a lower age of retirement.
In the latest study, the researchers wrote that the magnitude of their findings was “vast.”
“It’s intuitive and makes a lot of sense, but it was still striking to see it materialize so strongly in all of these models,” McHill said.
“I’m a sleep physiologist who understands the health benefits of sleep, but the strength of the association between sleep sufficiency and life expectancy was remarkable to me.”
A Modifiable Factor
In particular, the researchers pointed out that the public health implications were striking.
Unlike some factors that are very difficult to modify, sleep health is modifiable—improving one’s sleep hygiene can be as simple as putting phones away in the hours before bed, or reading a book to wind down.
Previous studies have also pointed out the importance of a regular sleep schedule and a restful environment, as well as cutting out big meals and alcohol shortly before bed.
The benefits of taking care of one’s sleep hygiene, McHill said, might be outsized in comparison to other modifiable lifestyle factors.
“This research shows that we need to prioritize sleep at least as much as we do to what we eat or how we exercise,” McHill said. “Sometimes, we think of sleep as something we can set aside and maybe put off until later or on the weekend.
“Getting a good night’s sleep will improve how you feel but also how long you live.”
Newsweek has reached out to the researchers for comment via email.
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