Lack of sleep makes you feel older, study says

Not getting enough sleep can cause you feel five to ten years older than you really are say two new studies published on Tuesday (2).

Health and mobility issues can also contribute to feeling older before their time, but when it comes to sleep, the lack of it was the key to realizing old according to studies published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B .

“Sleep plays a causal role in how older individuals feel,” wrote Leonie Balter, a sleep researcher at Stockholm University in Sweden and lead author of both studies, in an email to CNN.

A lack of energy and motivation can certainly contribute to feeling older, while also limiting a person's ability to remain physically and socially active, which contributes to feeling young, added the researcher.

“Insufficient sleep induces feelings of drowsiness. Drowsiness is an important motivational state that makes us prioritize sleep and reduces our energy levels,” said Leonie.

“Age can be understood in multiple dimensions: chronological, biological and subjective,” said sleep researcher Dr. Chang-Ho Yun, professor of neurology at Seoul National University in Seongnam, South Korea, who was not involved in the studies. studies.

“Overall, these findings highlight the importance of adequate sleep in maintaining a youthful subjective age, potentially benefiting physical and mental health,” he wrote to CNN .

Feeling young is a good thing, according to science. This feeling has been associated in studies with a longer life, a lower rate of dementia, less chance of depression and more positive characteristics, such as optimism, hope and resilience, in addition to better physical and mental health.

In fact, people who feel younger than their age are more likely to have compatible brains. A June 2018 study found that older people who considered themselves younger had more gray matter in their brains and scored younger on brain age tests.

Two studies, similar results

Balter and his colleagues conducted two studies. One tested how well 429 people aged between 18 and 70 slept in their own homes in the previous month. For every night of poor sleep during this period, people reported feeling about a quarter of a year, or three months, older than their chronological age.

“Changes in mood and feelings of fatigue also contribute to the subjective sensation of aging,” Yun said. “These changes are typical manifestations of sleep deprivation and can worsen both drowsiness and the perception of old age.”

However, if the person had slept well during the month, they would feel almost six years younger, on average, than their real age.

Severe sleep deprivation

The second study asked 186 of the same participants to sleep in a laboratory for two nights, making sure they did not sleep more than four hours per night. The subjective experience of aging was much greater when people experienced this degree of sleep deprivation: on average, people felt almost 4 and a half years older than they actually were.

How quickly can people recover from poor sleep and start feeling younger again?

“The answer to that question is unknown. What our data suggests is that this could happen very quickly,” said Balter. “Anything that can alleviate drowsiness can have an immediate impact on subjective age. However, for more substantial and lasting effects, it is essential to ensure sufficient sleep.”

Sleepiness was monitored in the second study, and for every unit increase on a measurement scale, people added 1.23 years to their assessment of aging.

Gender didn't matter, but sleep chronotype did; people who love waking up early, often called early risers, have felt the impact most deeply.

Early risers rated themselves as more than five years older than evening types, also known as night owls, and four years older than intermediate types, people with a biological clock that doesn't adjust to either extreme. When early risers slept up to nine hours a night, however, they felt much younger.

So do early risers need more sleep than night owls?

“These findings support that sleep, a vital biological phenomenon, may be the key to feeling young,” Balter and his colleagues wrote in the study.

To improve overall well-being, prioritizing adequate sleep is key, Yun highlighted.

“If you suspect your sleep deprivation is due to a sleep disorder such as insomnia or sleep apnea, it is crucial to seek evaluation and treatment with a healthcare professional,” he said.

“Remember, a good night's sleep can help you live younger.”