Introduction

You’ll sleep for a third of your life. So, by the time you reach eighty, you’ll have spent more than 20,000 hours tucked up in bed. 

But how is this vital part of your day affecting your longevity?

In this article, you’ll learn three ways to boost your life expectancy and improve your health through sleep. 

  1. Don’t Sleep Too Little or Too Much

It’s common knowledge that too many late nights and early mornings are bad for you. However, consistently overdoing the lie-ins won’t do you any favors either. 

A Swedish study assessed forty-thousand people’s sleeping habits over thirteen years.

They discovered that how long you sleep each night affects mortality in a U-shaped pattern, revealing a Goldilocks “just right” effect to sleep length. 

The study found that participants who slept fewer than five hours a night increased their mortality risk by 65% compared to the reference group who slept for seven hours a night. On the other hand, individuals who slept too much (more than eight hours a night) had a 25% higher mortality risk than the reference group. 

However, this pattern was only present in participants younger than sixty-five. What’s more, the researchers didn’t find any connection between sleep duration and mortality in older participants. 

Next, we’ll take a look at how to bypass the harmful effects of undersleeping. 

  1. Catch Up Sleep on The Weekend

If you struggle to get enough sleep on work nights, you might be able to catch up on days off.

In the same Swedish study, researchers challenged the notion that you need seven hours of sleep every night. They discovered that you could repay weekday sleep debt on the weekend. Participants who slept fewer than five hours on weekdays but longer (over nine hours a night) on weekends reduced their mortality risk compared to participants who underslept every night. 

Notably, participants who caught up on sleep on the weekend had the same mortality risk as participants who got around seven hours of sleep every night. 

It’s important to note that the study used weekdays to signify working days and weekends to signify days off regardless of the participants’ actual shift patterns.

Next, let’s look at how sleep quality affects health. 

  1. Get Good Quality Sleep

How long you sleep each night is vital to your health. But not all sleep is of the same caliber. Various factors affect sleep quality, such as the environment you sleep in, the comfort of your bed, and the sound of your pet begging for food at three in the morning.

Research has connected poor sleep quality to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Another study followed participants aged sixty-five and over for five years. The researchers discovered that individuals who reported “poor” or “very poor” sleep quality had a higher mortality risk. 

But what are the signs that you’re getting high-quality sleep?

The National Sleep Foundation analyzed two-hundred-and-seventy-seven studies to find science-backed indicators of good sleep quality. The foundation reported that the key signs are:

  • Sleep latency: You fall asleep in less than thirty minutes. 
  • The number of awakenings: You only wake up once (or twice if you’re over sixty-five) for more than five minutes. 
  • Wake after sleep onset: You’re only awake for twenty minutes or less when you do wake up. 
  • Sleep efficiency: You spend about 85% of the time you dedicate to trying to sleep, asleep. 

Conclusion

Sleep is a universal human need. And how you sleep can significantly impact your longevity.

If you struggle to sleep for more than five hours on weekdays, ensure you catch up on the weekend. At the same time, don’t overdo it – excess sleep harms your health. 

Regardless of how long you sleep, make sure you’re getting good quality sleep that’s adding years to your life.