Quality sleep associated with longevity and health

A recently published study has shown a link between a good night’s rest and living a long and healthy life.

“Age and health conditions are the two most important factors associated with self-reported sleep quality and duration,” said principal investigator and lead author of the study Danan Gu, PhD, faculty of the Nohad A. Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning at Portland State University in Oregon.

The sleep study gathered data from 15,638 adults ages 65 and older. A portion of the data was gathered from China, a country that has the largest population of elderly in the world. Reports show China has nearly 40.5 million people over the age of 75, as estimated by The World Bank.

Of the sample size used for this study, 2,800 people were 100 years of age and older. Results showed that around 65 percent of people reported that they received about 7.5 hours of sleep daily. However, those over the age of 100 that reported they have a good night’s rest were 70 percent higher than participants younger than 79 years of age.

Researchers took a closer look at the data and found those who reported poor sleep also expressed deteriorating health conditions. People who dealt with feelings of anxiousness, disease and other ailments were 46 percent less likely to sleep well.

“The majority of healthy elders could experience satisfactory sleep quality,” said Gu. “Sleep problems at oldest-old ages likely arise from a variety of physiological and psychosocial factors rather than aging per se.”

Studies also show a connection between access to healthcare and sleep. Those who had access to adequate medical care were 84 percent more likely to report good sleep and 56 percent more likely to sleep well if they were economically well off.

While nothing has been confirmed, researchers feel that there’s enough data gathered to believe there is a direct connection between sleep quality and a person’s length of life and quality.

source: psychcentral