Waking up groggy is an immediate downside of being late to bed and early to rise, but new research has confirmed that the consequences go far beyond the next day.
According to a study by Oregon Health & Science University (OSHU), insufficient sleep could actually ‘cut years off your life’ — adding a dark double meaning to the phrase ‘you can sleep when you’re dead’.
Using a US-wide health habits survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, researchers compared respondents’ answers against life expectancy in their area.
Aside from smoking, getting less than seven hours of sleep per night was the factor most associated with dying younger, affecting longevity more than diet, exercise, socioeconomic status, or loneliness.
‘I didn’t expect it to be so strongly correlated to life expectancy,’ commented senior author and OSHU associate professor Andrew McHill, Ph.D.
‘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.’
McHill called the findings ‘remarkable’, adding that although he’s a sleep psychologist with a good understanding of the health impact of poor rest, ‘it was still striking to see it materialise so strongly in all of these models.’
The study – published in the journal SLEEP Advances – is the first to show year-by-year connections between sleep and life expectancy across each US state.
This means outlier regions where results deviated from the norm during certain periods can be targeted for future investigation, potentially helping pin down exactly why the two factors are so closely linked.
Do you get at least 7 hours of sleep most nights?
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Yes, I make sure to get enough sleep
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No, I usually get less than 7 hours
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It depends on my schedule
Ahead of opening up further scientific breakthroughs though, McHill says this project highlights the importance of prioritising sleep ‘at least as much as we do to what we eat or how we exercise.’
‘Sometimes, we think of sleep as something we can set aside and maybe put off until later or on the weekend,’ he concluded. ‘Getting a good night’s sleep will improve how you feel but also how long you live.’
How many hours of sleep you need each night
The NHS recommends adult sleep for 7-9 hours’ sleep a night, but the exact ideal amount can differ depending on a number of things, including a person’s age.
For example, guidelines suggest babies under 12 months get around 12-16 hours, school-age children get 9-12 hours, and over-65s get 7-8 hours.
‘Individual sleep need is like height – we are all different and it is to a large degree genetically determined,’ sleep researcher Dr Neil Stanley previously told Metro. ‘Anywhere between about four and eleven hours can be considered normal but getting just one hour less sleep a night than you require can have measurable effects on your physical and mental health.’
Given the potential health implications, it’s a good idea to at least try to stick to that magic seven-hour minimum.
However, if that’s not an option, Dr Stanley advises keeping an eye on what works best for you; if you feel tired every day, it’s a definitive sign you aren’t getting enough shut-eye.
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