According to research presented at the American College of Cardiology‘s Annual Scientific Session, high-quality sleep can support heart and overall health and may even increase lifespan. The study found that young people with better sleep habits were less likely to die early, and around 8% of deaths from any cause could be linked to poor sleep patterns. Researchers used a low-risk sleep score based on survey answers to look at five factors of good sleep, such as the ideal length of sleep, not taking any sleep aids, and feeling well-rested at least five days a week after waking up. Each factor was given one point, giving a maximum score of five for the best quality of sleep.

The study included data from 172,321 people who participated in the National Health Interview Survey between 2013 and 2018. Participants were followed for a median of 4.3 years, during which time 8,681 individuals died. Researchers took into account other things that might have made the risk of dying higher, such as lower socioeconomic status, smoking, drinking alcohol, and having other health problems. Participants with all five favorable sleep factors 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.

The study’s limitations include the fact that sleep habits were self-reported and not objectively measured or verified. No information was available about the types of sleep aids or medicines used or how often or for how long participants used them. Future research is needed to find out how these gains in life expectancy might continue as people get older and to learn more about the differences between men and women that have been seen. Researchers hope that these sleep habits will be easy to measure during clinical visits and that patients and doctors will start talking about sleep as part of figuring out how to treat diseases and improve overall health.

The research above, titled “Low-risk Sleep Patterns, Mortality, and Life Expectancy at Age 30 Years: A Prospective Study of 172,321 U.S. Adults,” was led by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center internal medicine resident physician Frank Qian, MD.

References

• Napoli, N. (2023, February 23). Getting Good Sleep Could Add Years to Your Life. American College of Cardiology; American College of Cardiology. https://www.acc.org/About-ACC/Press-Releases/2023/02/22/21/35/Getting-Good-Sleep-Could-Add-Years-to-Your-Life