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A new large‑scale analysis suggests that not only too little sleep but also too much sleep may speed up the body’s aging process. Researchers who examined biological aging markers in around 500,000 people found that the ideal sleep duration lies between six and eight hours per night.
The study, published in Nature, shows that consistently sleeping less than six hours or more than eight hours can harm long‑term health. According to the international research team from Columbia University in New York, both extremes are linked to faster aging of individual organs.
Organs Age Faster With Too Little—or Too Much—Sleep
Using long-term data from the UK Biobank, the researchers evaluated how sleep habits influence biological age. Their conclusion is striking: chronic under‑ or oversleeping negatively affects nearly every major organ system, including the lungs, liver, heart, digestive system, skin, and kidneys.
The study also found accelerated aging in the immune system, hormonal balance, and metabolism. These changes, the authors note, can increase vulnerability to disease and raise overall mortality risk.
- Biological aging
- Immune system function
- Metabolism and sleep
Different Risks at Each Extreme
The researchers highlight two distinct mechanisms:
- Too little sleep triggers stress responses and disrupts the body’s natural circadian rhythms.
- Too much sleep appears to particularly affect the brain, potentially contributing to long‑term cognitive and physical consequences.
The “Sweet Spot”: 6.4 to 7.8 Hours
To keep the body biologically young, the study recommends a nightly sleep duration between 6.4 and 7.8 hours. This range was associated with the slowest rate of organ aging across the population studied.
The findings reinforce a growing scientific consensus: sleep is not just about quantity but balance. Both extremes—too little and too much—can quietly accelerate the aging process from within.
- source: orf.at/picture: Image by Claudio Scot from Pixabay
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