We all want to «age successfully» with as few health problems as possible. A new study shows how much sleep you get each night can go a long way toward achieving this goal.
Successful aging is a concept that involves maintaining good physical, mental, and social health in older age. This implies a low probability of illness or disability; high opportunities for learning and physical activity; active participation in society, etc. People who age successfully usually do not have serious chronic diseases, maintain high physical activity, good cognitive function, positive psycho-emotional state and are actively involved in public life.
So, scientists conducted a study to find out how much sleep is needed for «successful aging». The study involved 3306 people over the age of 45 whose sleep habits were recorded in 2011, 2013, and 2015. After that, they underwent a medical examination 5 years later. After analyzing the data, researchers from Wenzhou Medical University (China) found that those who sleep at least 7 hours a night have significantly better health in older age.
«Successful aging in 2020 was assessed as the absence of serious chronic diseases, physical disorders, high level of cognitive function, good mental health, and active participation in life», — the researchers note.
By the end of the study, only 455 participants (13.8%) met all the criteria for successful aging. Among them, 307 people (about two-thirds) consistently received more than 7 hours of sleep per night.
The participants were divided into 5 groups according to their sleep patterns: stable long (8-9 hours), stable normal (7-8 hours), decreasing (from more than 8 to less than 6 hours), increasing (from less than 6 to more than 8 hours), and stable short (5-6 hours).
The chances of successful aging were significantly higher in the stable long (17.1%) and normal (18.1%) groups compared to those with decreasing (9.9%), increasing (10.6%), and stable short (8.8%) sleep patterns.
«Compared to participants with stable normal sleep, the chances of successful aging were 36% lower in the stable short sleep group and 52% lower in the increasing sleep group», — the researchers write.
The team took into account factors such as weight, alcohol consumption, and gender, but the nature of the study does not allow for a direct cause-and-effect relationship.
The results of the study once again remind us of the importance of stable and long sleep.
Source: sciencealert