"Sleep Is Not Always a Cure-All"...Excessive Rest May Accelerate Aging

Optimal Sleep Duration: 6.4 to 7.8 Hours
Both Insufficient and Excessive Sleep Accelerate Aging

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It is well known that lack of sleep is harmful to health, but research has also shown that sleeping excessively long hours is not necessarily beneficial either. Analysis suggests that sleep outside an appropriate range places a burden on the entire body and also affects the rate of aging.

Aging Slows Most When Sleeping 6.4 to 7.8 Hours

Recently, a research team at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in the United States analyzed data from approximately 500,000 participants in the UK Biobank to examine the relationship between sleep duration and biological aging. The results showed that the group who slept 6.4 to 7.8 hours per day experienced the slowest rate of aging.

The researchers comprehensively assessed the aging status of major organs such as the brain, liver, lungs, immune system, skin, adipose tissue, and pancreas. Biological age, as mentioned here, is an indicator that shows how quickly body tissues and organs are losing function, which is different from actual chronological age.

On the other hand, it was found that when sleep was less than 6 hours or exceeded 8 hours, aging tended to progress more rapidly. The researchers described this as a "U-shaped relationship," explaining that the further sleep duration deviates from the appropriate range, the greater the health risks.

Effects Differ Depending on Sleep Duration

The way sleep duration affects health also varied. Short sleep was found to cause chronic inflammation, decreased immune function, and metabolic abnormalities, thereby increasing the risk of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases such as obesity, hypertension, and diabetes.

By contrast, long sleep showed a deeper association with brain health problems, such as depression and cognitive decline. However, the researchers explained that it is possible that longer sleep itself does not directly cause aging, but rather that individuals with poorer existing health conditions tend to sleep longer, which may have influenced the results.

Associate Professor Junhao Wen, who led the study, emphasized, "Inappropriate sleep habits can accelerate the aging of not only the brain but also various organs in the body," adding, "Sleep is a key factor in maintaining the normal functioning of each organ."

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