Everyone wishes to age healthily. A study has shown that to achieve this, you need to sleep at least 7 hours every night.

According to a study published in BMC Public Health, people who sleep at least 7 hours at night tend to experience significant improvements in their health later on.

 

Researchers at Wenzhou Medical University in China studied 3,306 adults aged 45 and older. They recorded sleep habits in 2011, 2013, and 2015, then conducted health examinations five years later. The researchers divided the participants into five groups based on their sleep habits: long-term stable (regularly sleeping 8-9 hours), normal stable (regularly sleeping 7-8 hours), decreasing (from an average of over 8 hours to less than 6 hours), increasing (from an average of less than 6 hours to over 8 hours), and short-term stable (regularly sleeping 5-6 hours).

The researchers defined successful aging as having no major chronic diseases, no physical disabilities, high cognitive function, good mental health, and active participation in life.

 

Research results showed that long-term stable type and normal stable type (17.1% and 18.1%, respectively) were more likely to meet the criteria for successful aging compared to decreasing type (9.9%), increasing type (10.6%), and short-term stable type (8.8%). Specifically, only 455 participants (13.8%) met the criteria for successful aging. Among them, 307 (about two-thirds) consistently slept more than 7 hours at night.

 

The researchers stated, "Participants with unstable sleep time trajectories and increasing trajectories had a 36% and 52% lower likelihood of successful aging, respectively, compared to those who maintained a stable sleep time trajectory."

 

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If you want to age healthily

7 hours a day

This statement is even scarier: if you want to age healthily.

Do you sleep 7 hours every day?