Just Two Nights of Interrupted Sleep Can Make You Feel Older Than You Are
Researchers have revealed that just two nights of disrupted sleep are enough to make individuals feel older than their actual age, emphasizing that continuous and restful sleep plays a key role in avoiding this sensation.
A study conducted by psychologists in Sweden found that volunteers felt, on average, over four years older after being restricted to only four hours of sleep for two consecutive nights. Some participants reported that the drowsiness made them feel decades older.
Conversely, when individuals were allowed to stay in bed for nine hours, the effect was more modest. Participants in the study reported feeling, on average, three months younger than their actual age after a period of adequate rest.
Dr. Leonie Balter, a neuroimmune scientist at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm and the study's lead author, stated, "Sleep has a significant effect on how old you feel, and it’s not just about your long-term sleep patterns. Even when you sleep less for just two nights, it has a real impact on your perceived age."
In addition to feeling older, Dr. Balter suggested that perceiving oneself as being several years older could have health implications, including encouraging unhealthy eating, reducing physical activity, and making individuals less inclined to socialize or engage in new experiences.
The researchers conducted two studies. In the first, 429 individuals aged between 18 and 70 answered questions about how old they felt and the number of nights, if any, they had slept poorly in the past month. Their drowsiness levels were also measured using a psychological scale.
The scientists discovered that for each day of poor sleep, volunteers felt an average of three months older. Conversely, those who did not report poor sleep in the previous month felt on average six years younger than their actual age.
In the second study, the researchers asked 186 volunteers aged between 18 and 46 how they felt in terms of age after two nights of plentiful sleep, where they stayed in bed for nine hours each night, and two nights when they only had four hours of sleep. After two nights of limited sleep, participants felt an average of 4.44 years older than they initially did.
Dr. Balter concluded, If you want to feel young at heart, the most important thing is to protect your sleep.
She suggests that if these findings are confirmed, they could be utilized effectively. "It's important to realize how malleable subjective age is, If we can make people feel younger, they might be able to gain the associated benefits, such as being more willing to try new experiences and becoming more socially and physically active."
Conversely, when individuals were allowed to stay in bed for nine hours, the effect was more modest. Participants in the study reported feeling, on average, three months younger than their actual age after a period of adequate rest.
Dr. Leonie Balter, a neuroimmune scientist at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm and the study's lead author, stated, "Sleep has a significant effect on how old you feel, and it’s not just about your long-term sleep patterns. Even when you sleep less for just two nights, it has a real impact on your perceived age."
In addition to feeling older, Dr. Balter suggested that perceiving oneself as being several years older could have health implications, including encouraging unhealthy eating, reducing physical activity, and making individuals less inclined to socialize or engage in new experiences.
The researchers conducted two studies. In the first, 429 individuals aged between 18 and 70 answered questions about how old they felt and the number of nights, if any, they had slept poorly in the past month. Their drowsiness levels were also measured using a psychological scale.
The scientists discovered that for each day of poor sleep, volunteers felt an average of three months older. Conversely, those who did not report poor sleep in the previous month felt on average six years younger than their actual age.
In the second study, the researchers asked 186 volunteers aged between 18 and 46 how they felt in terms of age after two nights of plentiful sleep, where they stayed in bed for nine hours each night, and two nights when they only had four hours of sleep. After two nights of limited sleep, participants felt an average of 4.44 years older than they initially did.
Dr. Balter concluded, If you want to feel young at heart, the most important thing is to protect your sleep.
She suggests that if these findings are confirmed, they could be utilized effectively. "It's important to realize how malleable subjective age is, If we can make people feel younger, they might be able to gain the associated benefits, such as being more willing to try new experiences and becoming more socially and physically active."
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