Sleep & Longevity

Here’s more evidence about the importance of a good night’s sleep, especially as we get older. A study of nearly 16,000 Chinese Zoomers has found that those who regularly enjoyed a good night’s sleep also lived longer and enjoyed better health.

And it was the very oldest people who had the best sleep. Study subjects aged 80 and over were more likely to report higher sleep quality than those aged 65 to 79. Participants were also much more likely to report higher sleep quality if they had good access to health care and if their families were doing well economically. Men were more likely than women to sleep well.

Not surprisingly, people with health problems were less likely to get good sleep. So were individuals who were anxious or struggled with everyday tasks. The researchers conclude that these problems cause trouble sleeping – that it’s just a function of aging.

They aren’t suggesting a cause-and-effect relationship between sleep and healthy aging, but the findings show that a good night’s sleep certainly benefits us as we age.