One's Lifespan Depends on "Sleep Age," Sleep Disturbances May Result to Early Death

The latest research claims that a person's lifespan can be predicted by their "sleep age." The study was released in NPJ Digital Medicine. It claims in the abstract that sleep disturbances increase as people age and can be a major component in predicting one's lifespan.

The Stanford University School of Medicine researchers initially analyzed 12,00 related studies on individuals focusing on their sleeping characteristics, from their leg and jaw movement, breathing patterns, and heart rate.

In the study, they used polysomnography tests (PSGs) to craft a system that will forecast the respondent's 'sleep age,' which they explained as a projected age that relates to an individual's wellness based on the quality of their sleep.

The aging process was modeled using 2500 PSGs and tested in 10,699 PSGs for males and women in seven unique subjects aged between the 20s and 90s.

Stanford Medicine doctor and author Emmanuel Mignot, MD, Ph.D., said that their main finding was that sleep fragmentation (defined as the sleep disturbances at night for less than a minute without remembering it) was their strongest indicator of one's lifespan.

Sleep Age Varies From Birth Age

Doctor Mignot added that an individual's sleep age could look older compared to the actual birth age of a person. And those with an older sleep age can have an increased possibility of dying early, "based on the patients" who later died.

The study added that an approximate ten-year change in someone's sleep age could lessen or add mortality to 8.7 years.

The first symptoms of sleep disruption are changes in heartbeat and breathing patterns that signal other health diseases.

Their use of an illustration of a violently acting out of a dream might lead to Parkison's disease before further signs that can be seen five to ten years before.

However, Professor Mignot clarified that the older sleep age does not indicate a higher or lower life expectancy as "there is always huge natural variation," but inadequate sleep can be linked to multiple chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and depression, adding that the study from Berkeley, the University of California that was lacking quality sleep makes people less generous.

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A recent study claims that lesser sleep shortens life expectancy.

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Continuation of Further Studies

Doctor Emmanuel and his team said they would continue further sleep studies that correlate with sleep age. They are currently working on collaborative research with scientists from Harvard University to collect more data from 250,000 people.

Hoping in the near future, they can forecast the future occurrences of cardiac arrests and Alzheimer's disease that causes death.

During sleep, the brain undergoes an automatic program, the same with the heart and lungs patterns. The study clarified that changes in these factors serve as early body warnings about possible health problems.

The non-profit organization NSF or the National Sleep Foundation provides tips on improving sleep quality. Such as regular 30-minute exercise, a correct eating schedule, winding down, avoiding alcoholic drinks, taking less caffeine, a screen limit, and taking light meals before bedtime.