Optimal sleep window linked to slower biological aging across multiple organs
A new study finds that sleeping between roughly 6.4 and 7.8 hours a night is associated with the lowest biological aging rates, while shorter or longer sleep correlates with faster aging in many body systems.
Junhao Wen and colleagues built organ-level biological aging clocks by integrating imaging, protein and metabolic data from the UK Biobank cohort. Comparing participants' self-reported sleep lengths to 23 aging metrics covering 17 organ systems, they identified a clear U-shaped pattern: individuals sleeping fewer than 6 hours or more than 8 hours exhibited faster biological aging across most organs. The sweet spot of 6.4 to 7.8 hours corresponded to the lowest aging scores.
Short sleep was linked to depression, anxiety, obesity, type-2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and arrhythmias, while both short and long sleep were tied to COPD, asthma, gastritis and reflux. Mediation analysis suggested distinct pathways by which short and long sleep may contribute to late-life depression, implicating brain and adipose tissue aging. The findings highlight sleep as a pervasive factor in systemic health and suggest potential targets for therapeutic intervention.
Why it matters
Understanding the sleep range that aligns with slower organ aging can guide public-health advice and personal habits to reduce disease risk.
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