2023-10-31 13:50:07
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Go to bed at a regular time or age prematurely?
New research has investigated the associations between daily variations in sleep and biological aging. She concludes that the regularity of sleep (like that of bedtime) seems just as important as its quantity and quality.
Some of us need eight hours a night, while others can survive just fine on less sleep. But to what extent do our sleep habits impact aging? A study conducted by North American and Hong Kong researchers on data from 6,052 adults (from the American National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted between 2011 and 2014) shows that irregular sleep or bedtimes influence biological age.
Not going to bed at a regular time and working staggered hours associated with premature aging
The researchers measured for four to seven days, with a device, the way the participants slept: the duration of their sleep, its regularity, the practice of “ catch-up sleep » via naps or even jet lag linked to work or other activities. The results revealed that an overall irregularity of these parameters (variation in sleep duration from one night to the next, making up for a short night with a longer night the next day or jet lag) was associated with a “ premature biological aging ».
This sleep irregularity also goes hand in hand with a increased risk of diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, poorer mental and cognitive health. The majority of these diseases are age-related disorders.
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A dysregulation of the internal biological clock which can go unnoticed for a long time
As the researchers explain, “ costs » of these sleep irregularities for health « can go unnoticed ”, because these disorders develop over long periods of time. However, biological aging, studied here, is an indicator “ important » of our chance to live long and in good health or on the contrary to die prematurely, because it indicates aging “ underlying ».
According to the study’s lead author, pediatrician and professor of medicine at Augusta University (United States) Xiaoling Wang, this study is « an alarm signal » for those who sleep at different times each night. Our body is governed by internal clocks which are regulated by different factors, both external and internal. For example, the part of the brain that stimulates the heartbeat is like “ reset » every morning by daylight. Thus, frequent changes in bedtime and wake-up times can cause a “lag” between the internal biological clock (the circadian rhythm) and external factors. Internal biological clocks can then become out of sync, which in turn affects how the body functions.
This type of sleep irregularity is so common in the population – e.g. when we tell ourselves that the short nights of the week will “make up” for the weekend – that the researchers think that the subject presents a “ great potential » in matters of public health.
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Bibliographic references 
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