Sleep for Longevity. What does the Science Say?
- Alastair Hunt
- Oct 14, 2024
- 5 min read
Updated: 8 hours ago
Many sleep articles reference short, mid and long-term issues realting to poor sleep, what about longevity? How much can we improve our lifespan by getting some quality shut-eye?
As ever, please talk to your doctor, or medical practitioner most familiar with your medical history before implementing any changes in diet, exercise or lifestyle; especially if you are under treatment. We provide links to relevant studies at bottom of page.
What Studies Show
A 2023 US study by Li et al., involving over 172,000 adults aged 30 and older from the National Health Interview Survey, explored the impact of sleep on mortality and lifespan. Researchers assigned each participant a sleep score based on five factors:
Sleeping 7 to 8 hours per night
Difficulty falling asleep no more than twice per week
Trouble staying asleep no more than twice per week
Not using any sleep medications
Feeling well-rested after waking, at least five days per week
Those who met all five “low-risk” sleep factors lived significantly longer - an estimated 4.7 years longer for men and 2.4 years longer for women - compared to participants with poor sleep scores (0 or 1 of the five factors). The study also found that healthy sleepers had a 30% lower risk of all-cause death, including 21% lower cardiovascular mortality, 19% lower cancer mortality and 34% lower mortality from other causes.
Importantly, these associations held even after adjusting for socioeconomic status, lifestyle choices, and pre-existing medical conditions. While the study was observational and cannot prove causality, the findings align with previous research, including Mendelian randomisation studies linking short sleep duration to cardiovascular disease.
Healthy, quality sleep can be improved with a few daily habits.
In a 2020 Singapore study, 71% of working adults reported either poor sleep quality or short sleep duration - highlighting a widespread issue. But this doesn’t mean it’s too late to act. Sleep quality can be improved with a few targeted daily habits. Much depends on properly understanding your own unique lifestyle. Improving 'sleep hygiene' through regular bedtimes, limiting screen time before bed and managing stress can support longer sleep duration and better rest.
Diet and exercise also play key roles, though developing the right strategy often requires a personalised approach. What works for your friend may not work for you. That’s where coaching and health planning can offer real, lasting support.
Melatonin Supplement
Melatonin, a sleep supplement, is increasingly used by the public to support sleep. Tested products matter... While generally considered safe to use, there is unfortunately an abundance of melatonin supplements on the market that do not contain the ingredients or quantities stated on the label, either in the quantity or if any at all.
Final Thoughts
One important point that the research demonstrates is that sleep is intertwined with multiple aspects of health and lifestyle. So addressing and improving one area of health can also support change - improvement - in other areas. Understanding where to start is useful, learn more about the pillars of health and see what resonates with you.
For most people, improving sleep, health, is about finding motivation and prioritising self-care with an ultimate goal of taking action. If you want to take effective and targeted steps that fit into your unique lifestyle, The Whole Health Practice is here to help.
Whether your interest is healthspan and longevity, to beat chronic illness or to enhance your mental health and well-being, our consultations and programs deliver results that are tailored to your needs.
Our foundational Whole Health Consult identifies and prioritises the key factors - known and unknown - that affect health and wellbeing. It provides targeted recommendations tailored to you, the individual, and your unique lifestyle.
Stay Healthy,
Alastair
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Related Studies
The study in question... Li H, Qian F, Han L, Feng W, Zheng D, Guo X, Zhang H. Association of Healthy Sleep Patterns with Risk of Mortality and Life Expectancy at Age 30 Years: A Population-Based Cohort Study. QJM. 2023 Oct 13:hcad237. doi: 10.1093/qjmed/hcad237. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37831896.
Windred DP, Burns AC, Lane JM, Saxena R, Rutter MK, Cain SW, Phillips AJK. Sleep regularity is a stronger predictor of mortality risk than sleep duration: A prospective cohort study. Sleep. 2024 Jan 11;47(1):zsad253. doi: 10.1093/sleep/zsad253. PMID: 37738616; PMCID: PMC10782501.
Liang YY, Feng H, Chen Y, Jin X, Xue H, Zhou M, Ma H, Ai S, Wing YK, Geng Q, Zhang J. Joint association of physical activity and sleep duration with risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality: a population-based cohort study using accelerometry. Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2023 Jul 12;30(9):832-843. doi: 10.1093/eurjpc/zwad060. PMID: 36990109.
Kocevska D, Lysen TS, Dotinga A, Koopman-Verhoeff ME, Luijk MPCM, Antypa N, Biermasz NR, Blokstra A, Brug J, Burk WJ, Comijs HC, Corpeleijn E, Dashti HS, de Bruin EJ, de Graaf R, Derks IPM, Dewald-Kaufmann JF, Elders PJM, Gemke RJBJ, Grievink L, Hale L, Hartman CA, Heijnen CJ, Huisman M, Huss A, Ikram MA, Jones SE, Velderman MK, Koning M, Meijer AM, Meijer K, Noordam R, Oldehinkel AJ, Groeniger JO, Penninx BWJH, Picavet HSJ, Pieters S, Reijneveld SA, Reitz E, Renders CM, Rodenburg G, Rutters F, Smith MC, Singh AS, Snijder MB, Stronks K, Ten Have M, Twisk JWR, Van de Mheen D, van der Ende J, van der Heijden KB, van der Velden PG, van Lenthe FJ, van Litsenburg RRL, van Oostrom SH, van Schalkwijk FJ, Sheehan CM, Verheij RA, Verhulst FC, Vermeulen MCM, Vermeulen RCH, Verschuren WMM, Vrijkotte TGM, Wijga AH, Willemen AM, Ter Wolbeek M, Wood AR, Xerxa Y, Bramer WM, Franco OH, Luik AI, Van Someren EJW, Tiemeier H. Sleep characteristics across the lifespan in 1.1 million people from the Netherlands, United Kingdom and United States: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Nat Hum Behav. 2021 Jan;5(1):113-122. doi: 10.1038/s41562-020-00965-x. Epub 2020 Nov 16. PMID: 33199855.
Erland LA, Saxena PK. Melatonin Natural Health Products and Supplements: Presence of Serotonin and Significant Variability of Melatonin Content. J Clin Sleep Med. 2017 Feb 15;13(2):275-281. doi: 10.5664/jcsm.6462. PMID: 27855744; PMCID: PMC5263083.
Singapore Studies
Svensson T, Saito E, Svensson AK, Melander O, Orho-Melander M, Mimura M, Rahman S, Sawada N, Koh WP, Shu XO, Tsuji I, Kanemura S, Park SK, Nagata C, Tsugane S, Cai H, Yuan JM, Matsuyama S, Sugawara Y, Wada K, Yoo KY, Chia KS, Boffetta P, Ahsan H, Zheng W, Kang D, Potter JD, Inoue M. Association of Sleep Duration With All- and Major-Cause Mortality Among Adults in Japan, China, Singapore, and Korea. JAMA Netw Open. 2021 Sep 1;4(9):e2122837. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.22837. PMID: 34477853; PMCID: PMC8417759.
Visvalingam N, Sathish T, Soljak M, Chua AP, Dunleavy G, Divakar U, Nazeha N, Bajpai R, Soh CK, Woon KK, Christopoulos G, Car J. Prevalence of and factors associated with poor sleep quality and short sleep in a working population in Singapore. Sleep Health. 2020 Jun;6(3):277-287. doi: 10.1016/j.sleh.2019.10.008. Epub 2019 Dec 11. PMID: 31836498.
Lee YY, Lau JH, Vaingankar JA, Sambasivam R, Shafie S, Chua BY, Chow WL, Abdin E, Subramaniam M. Sleep quality of Singapore residents: findings from the 2016 Singapore mental health study. Sleep Med X. 2022 Jan 28;4:100043. doi: 10.1016/j.sleepx.2022.100043. PMID: 35243325; PMCID: PMC8861160.
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