Research by Dr. Frank Chen's Team at Harvard Medical School
Sleeping 7-8 Hours a Day and Not Waking Up in the Middle of Sleep, etc.
A study has found that simply maintaining five good sleep habits, including 'sleeping 7 to 8 hours a day,' can extend life expectancy by nearly 5 years for men and 2.5 years for women.
According to a report by the US CNN on the 23rd (local time), Dr. Frank Chen, a clinical researcher at Harvard Medical School, analyzed the relationship between sleep habits and mortality among 172,000 participants in the National Health Interview Survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Center for Health Statistics from 2013 to 2018, reaching this conclusion.
The five good sleep habits identified by Dr. Chen's research team are ▲sleeping 7 to 8 hours a day ▲not waking up in the middle of sleep ▲having no difficulty falling asleep at least twice a week ▲feeling well rested after sleeping at least five days a week ▲not taking medication to aid sleep.
Dr. Chen said, "People who have all good sleep habits are more likely to live longer," adding, "If sleep disorders can be identified and overall sleep improved, some premature deaths could be prevented."
The research team asked participants to score each sleep habit with 1 point, for a total of 5 points. Four years later, they compared the sleep habit scores with the national death index to see if sleep habits contributed to premature death from specific diseases. They also removed the effects of other risk factors such as alcohol consumption, low socioeconomic status, and illnesses, then analyzed the correlation between sleep habit scores and mortality risk.
As a result, people who scored 5 points by following all good sleep habits had a 30% lower overall risk of premature death compared to those scoring 0 to 1 point. Breaking it down by category, the risk of death from cardiovascular disease was 21% lower, cancer mortality risk was 19% lower, and death risk from causes other than heart disease or cancer was 40% lower.
Regarding this, the research team explained, "Having all five good sleep habits (5 points) compared to having none or only one (0 to 1 point) means an increase in life expectancy of 4.7 years for men and 2.4 years for women."
"Sleep quality, quantity, and regularity are all important"
Another sleep expert, Professor Raji Dasgupta from the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, emphasized, "Recent studies have revealed that sleep duration and irregularity are associated with metabolic abnormalities and increased cardiovascular disease risk," adding, "Sleep is important not only in terms of quality and quantity but also regularity."
Regarding the study's finding that women are less affected by sleep habits, he suggested, "This may be because diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea, where breathing stops for a few minutes during sleep, is more difficult in women than in men." Professor Dasgupta explained that women with obstructive sleep apnea often do not exhibit the typical symptoms seen in men, so different questions or parameters need to be considered to diagnose obstructive sleep apnea in women.
CNN advised that following 'sleep hygiene,' a set of lifestyle habits for better sleep, can help train the brain to sleep better more easily. These include ▲going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, including weekends and holidays ▲creating an optimal sleep environment that is cool and dark ▲avoiding alcohol before bedtime ▲establishing a sleep routine such as avoiding blue light use one hour before sleep ▲relaxing with meditation, yoga, or a warm bath.
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