A Stable Sleep Schedule Is the Key to Living Longer, Says New Study

We already know that sleeping too much or too little can cause adverse health effects. Studies have consistently shown that sleeping outside the seven- to nine-hour window is linked to an increased risk of stroke, cognitive impairment, depression, and a shorter lifespan.

But how does a stable sleep schedule impact our ability to age successfully—and what does aging successfully even mean? Researchers recently published a study in BMC Public Health that sought to determine how sleep duration, and changes to it as we age, impacts specific aging markers. Here are the findings, which highlight the need to prioritize sleep schedules for improved longevity.

What Is Considered Successful Aging?

Researchers from this study wanted to define what it means to age successfully (or gracefully, as others put it). They honed in on participants who had the potential to live a long life “while remaining free of major chronic diseases, with good physical function, cognitive function, mental health, and active social participation.”

The five chosen domains (chronic diseases, physical function, cognitive function, mental health, and social participation) were evaluated by asking the participants the following.

• If they were ever diagnosed with diabetes, cancer, chronic lung diseases, heart attack, or stroke
• If they needed assistance ​​dressing, bathing, eating, getting into or out of bed, using the toilet, or controlling the urge to go
• If they could subtract seven from 100 up to five times (as well as complete a drawing and memory task)
• If they were motivated or unmotivated based on a 10-item depression scale 
• If they did any of the following in the previous month: socializing, playing games, or attending community events

Study Findings

In this first-of-its-kind study, there were 3,306 participants who would be 60 and older by the end of the study, and they were all disease-free at the start. Their sleep duration was tracked in 2011, 2013, and 2015, and they were evaluated for successful aging in 2020. Five sleep duration patterns arose in the data, including normal stable, long stable, decreasing, increasing, and short stable. 

Normal stable participants slept around seven hours, and long stable participants slept between eight and nine hours. Increasing and decreasing participants went from five to six hours a night to eight to nine hours a night or the other way around. Short stable participants consistently slept between five to six hours a night.

During the follow-up period, 13.8% of participants met the criteria for successful aging, and researchers matched those participants with their sleep patterns. Here are the percentage of participants who achieved successful aging based on how they slept over time.