Think diet and exercise are key to a long life? A new study shows getting less than 7 hours of sleep has a bigger impact on your lifespan. Learn why good sleep is important for your health.
Getting less than seven hours of sleep each night might reduce the number of years you live, according to recent research that emphasizes how important rest truly is. Researchers from Oregon Health and Science University discovered that people who consistently don't get enough sleep are more likely to have shorter lifespans.
The study, published in the journal SLEEP Advances, indicates that sleep plays an even greater role in longevity than many people understand.
Lifestyle Surveys
To draw these conclusions, the researchers examined a large amount of national data from across the United States. They compared life expectancy data with health and lifestyle surveys collected by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention between 2019 and 2025. This allowed them to understand how daily habits influence how long people live.
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When the team looked at various lifestyle factors, sleep was clearly the most significant. Lack of enough sleep showed a stronger connection to reduced life expectancy than poor diet, lack of physical activity, or social isolation. The only factor that had an even greater effect was smoking. This result surprised the researchers, as sleep is often not considered as important as food or exercise.
Importance of Sleep
Much of the research was conducted by graduate students in a specialized sleep and health laboratory. While scientists have long known sleep is essential for good health, the strong link between how much sleep a person gets and how long they live was quite surprising. In this study, insufficient sleep was a better indicator of lifespan than either diet or exercise.
This study is also the first to track changes over time across all US states, showing how sleep patterns and life expectancy are connected as time passes. The researchers used the standard definition of enough sleep, which is at least seven hours per night. This aligns with widely accepted medical guidelines for healthy sleep.
How Good Sleep Improves Health
In nearly every state and for each year studied, the pattern was consistent. Places where more people got less than seven hours of sleep tended to have lower life expectancy. This clear connection suggests that the relationship is not accidental.
The study didn’t explore exactly why sleep has such a strong impact on lifespan. However, experts note that sleep is crucial for many essential bodily functions. It supports heart health, strengthens the immune system, and helps the brain work properly. Over time, poor sleep can lead to severe health issues that may shorten life.
The findings clearly show that sleep should be treated as a priority, just like eating right and being physically active. Many people view sleep as something they can give up during busy times and make up later, but this research suggests that regularly not getting enough sleep can have long-term health consequences.
Getting a good night’s sleep not only helps you feel better the next day but may also contribute to living a longer, healthier life.
