“Sleep age” can predict an individual’s lifespan, according to the latest study published in NPJ Digital Medicine. In addition, the study indicated that sleep disruptions tend to increase with age and could be vital in predicting a person’s lifespan.
“Sleep age” can predict one’s lifespan.
The Stanford University School of Medicine researchers analyzed close to 12,000 studies focusing on sleeping characteristics of individuals, heart rate, breathing patterns, and jaw and leg movement. Researchers employed polysomnography tests in crafting a system predicting the “sleep age” of individuals, projects as the age relating to wellness and sleep quality of the individuals.
Study author Emannuel Mignot said that the main finding was sleep fragmentation which was the strongest indicator of an individual’s lifespan. Sleep fragmentation is the sleep disturbances that occur at night that someone cannot remember.
According to Mignot, a person’s sleep age appeared older than the actual birth age. Surprisingly those with older sleep age have a higher chance of early death. Notably, a ten-year change in the sleep age of an individual could add or lessen mortality to around 8.7 years.
You can identify sleep disturbances if you start experiencing changes in breathing patterns and heart rate. They used the example of vigorously acting from a dream as evidence that Parkinson’s disease could develop before other symptoms, which can be noticed between five and ten years earlier.
Sleep age doesn’t mean reduced or greater lifespan because of variability.
Nevertheless, Professor Mignot explained that sleep age doesn’t imply a more significant or decreased life span because there is a continually massive natural difference. Still, that insufficient sleep could be associated with various chronic health conditions like cardiovascular disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and depression. In addition, a study from Berkeley, the University of California, found that people with insufficient sleep are less charitable.
The researchers expect to continue more studies correlating with sleep age. Currently, studies are undergoing in partnership with Harvard University researchers to gather additional data from around 250,000 individuals. They anticipate being able to predict future Alzheimer’s disease incidents and cardiac arrests that lead to death.
