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Too Much Sleep Ages You Faster?
16 May
Summary
- Six to eight hours of sleep is ideal for healthy aging.
- Both short and long sleep duration accelerate organ aging.
- Sleep duration is largely determined by environmental factors.
New research indicates that both insufficient and excessive sleep can lead to accelerated biological aging across the body's organ systems. The study, published in Nature, analyzed data from around half a million individuals, utilizing biological aging clocks to assess organ-specific age differences.
Findings suggest that between 6.4 and 7.8 hours of sleep nightly is associated with healthier aging and reduced disease risk. Deviations from this range, particularly in mid- and later life, were linked to an increased risk of mortality and systemic diseases, including issues related to the brain, respiratory system, and digestive tract.
While short sleep was associated with conditions like anxiety, obesity, and diabetes, long sleep appeared more connected to neuropsychiatric effects and potentially underlying latent diseases. Researchers hypothesize that sleep duration is largely modifiable through environmental factors rather than genetics.
Experts emphasize optimizing sleep through consistent wake times, good sleep hygiene, and managing medical conditions. They caution against oversleeping to compensate for lost sleep, as this can disrupt the body's natural rhythm. The relationship between sleep and aging is viewed as potentially bidirectional, with poor sleep accelerating aging and aging-related changes impacting sleep quality.
