We all want to “age well” with as few health problems as possible. A new study shows that sleeping more than seven hours a night may help achieve this goal. The study included 3,306 participants aged 45 and over, whose sleep habits were recorded in 2011, 2013 and 2015 and followed up five years later. Data analyzed by a team from Wenzhou Medical University in China found that those who slept at least seven hours a night tended to be significantly healthier in later life.

“Successful aging was assessed in 2020 and was defined as the absence of major chronic diseases, absence of physical impairments, high cognitive functions, good mental health and active participation in life,” the researchers wrote in their published article.

At the end of the study period, only 455 people (13.8 percent) met all criteria for successful aging. Of these, 307 (about two-thirds) were consistently sleeping more than seven hours a day.

Participants were divided into five groups based on their sleep habits over four years: long-term stable (8-9 hours of regular sleep), normal stable (7-8 hours of regular sleep), decline (average from more than 8 to less than 6), increased (average below 6 to above 8) and short-term stable (5-6 hours regularly).

The probability of successful aging was higher in the long-stationary and normal-stationary groups (17.1 percent and 18.1 percent, respectively), compared to decline (9.9 percent), growth (10.6 percent), and short-stationarity (8, 8). was significantly higher. percentage).

“Compared to participants with normal stable sleep duration trajectories, those with low stable and increasing trajectories were 36 percent and 52 percent less likely to age successfully, respectively,” the researchers wrote. “Participants with a downward trajectory also showed lower rates, but this was not statistically significant, likely due to sample size limitations.”

The team took into account factors such as weight, alcohol consumption and gender in their analysis; However, due to the nature of the study, a direct cause-effect relationship cannot be confirmed. What it offers is further proof of the importance of consistent, long sleep.

Previous research has also highlighted seven hours a day as a potential sweet spot for sleep and aging well. We also know there is a link between sleep and protection against a wide range of physical and mental health problems.

The population of China, where the research was conducted, is one of the fastest growing on the planet, but this is a very global problem. As the world ages, we need to ensure it remains healthy.

“These results highlight that chronic sleep deprivation and patterns of increasing and decreasing sleep duration are not merely age-related changes,” the researchers wrote. “Rather, they emerge as key indicators of barriers to successful aging.” The study was published on: BMC Public Health.