New study finds bad sleep habits accelerate brain aging

Participants were also assessed for six adverse sleep characteristics, including: short sleep duration, poor sleep quality, difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, waking up too early, and daytime sleepiness. Based on this information and detailed brain scans of each participant, the researchers were able to calculate their official “brain age.”

Scientists found that the brains of people with two or three bad sleep traits were about 1.6 years older than those with no more than one bad sleep trait. Those with more than three adverse sleep characteristics had an average brain age that was 2.6 years older than those with one or fewer adverse sleep characteristics. Ultimately, the researchers concluded: “Poor sleep is associated with earlier brain age in midlife.”

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If your current sleep quality isn’t the best, it’s understandable to feel a little nervous about these findings, but there’s no need to stress about it.

First, it’s important to point out that this study only found an association between people who had sleep problems and older brains at two different time points. There are so many other factors that affect your brain health that it’s hard to blame it all on sleep. Additionally, it’s entirely possible that participants were simply in a poor sleep state at the time they took the questionnaire, which doesn’t reflect their overall sleep status.

To summarize, sleep quality is important for many reasons. And, is it possible that quality sleep can help your brain slow aging? Even better.

How to improve sleep quality

You probably already know that a good night’s sleep is important, but in case you need a reminder: Adults should aim for seven to nine hours of sleep each night, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). According to the NHLBI, if you eat fewer calories than this, you may be at higher risk for a variety of health problems, including cardiovascular disease, metabolic problems, and hormonal problems.

While getting more than seven hours of sleep each night should be a priority, sleep quality is also important. This usually starts with your sleep hygiene, and according to NHLBI, you can improve it by following these tips:

• Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, including weekends.
• Aim to exercise regularly, but preferably no later than two to three hours before bed.
• Avoid caffeine and nicotine in the afternoon.
• Don’t drink alcohol before bed (it puts you in a light sleep stage and increases your chances of waking up in the middle of the night).
• Avoid large meals and drinks late at night.
• Don’t take a nap after 3 p.m.
• Try to relax before bed.
• Create a good sleep environment and get rid of anything in the bedroom that might distract you from sleep, such as noise and bright lights, an uncomfortable bed, or a TV or computer in the bedroom.
• Keep your bedroom cool.
• Try to get outside into natural sunlight for at least 30 minutes every day.
• If you’re still awake in bed after 20 minutes, get up and do some relaxing activities until you feel sleepy.

Finally, if you find that you have persistent sleep problems, talk to your doctor. They can help get to the root cause of sleep problems and provide reliable treatment options.