Better Sleep Could Improve Health And Add Years To Your Life, Study Suggests

Topline

Having better sleep habits—like sleeping for seven to eight hours each night—could improve overall health and decrease the likelihood of an early death, according to data released Thursday, as researchers say just under 10% of all deaths can be attributed to poor sleep patterns.

Key Facts

Researchers from the American College of Cardiology analyzed data from 172,321 adults in the U.S. who responded to an annual survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which gauges the health of the U.S. population and includes questions about sleep and sleep habits.

Researchers assessed five factors of quality sleep, including sleep duration, difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, use of sleep medication and feeling well-rested after sleeping.

People with better sleep habits were 30% less likely to die for any reason, 21% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease, 19% less likely to die from cancer and 40% less likely to die of causes other than heart disease or cancer, researchers say.

Among men and women who reported having all five beneficial factors, life expectancy for men increased by an average of 4.7 years and 2.4 years for women.

Frank Qian, a co-author of the study, noted additional research was needed to better understand how better sleep correlates to a higher life expectancy in men than women.

Surprising Fact

An estimated 8% of all deaths could be attributed to poor sleep patterns, according to the study.

Big Number

70 million. That’s how many people are estimated to have a sleep disorder in the U.S., according to the American Sleep Association.

Key Background

Getting enough sleep and having better sleep has been associated with better health, though its effects have not been directly studied until recently, according to the CDC. The American Heart Association noted that people who experienced irregular sleep patterns were nearly twice as likely to develop heart disease than someone with regular sleep patterns—though it is still unknown how it affects the heart. Researchers have suggested that sleep inconsistency could disturb the heart’s circadian rhythms, leading to fluctuations in heart rate, blood pressure and other cardiovascular functions throughout the day. Other research has suggested that sleep deprivation can affect awareness and might lead to anxiety or depression.

Further Reading

How Sleep Deprivation Affects Your Health (Forbes)