A single factor predicts how long you’ll live more accurately than diet or exercise, new research suggests.
What you gain by burning the midnight oil may come at a steep price to longevity, with a recent study linking insufficient sleep to a shorter life expectancy. While past work has tied poor sleep to a range of health problems, this investigation found that getting adequate rest had a stronger association with longevity than diet or physical activity—two factors commonly touted as life-extenders.
Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University analyzed survey data from across the United States spanning 2019 to 2025. They compared life expectancy estimates with how people described their sleep duration, using seven hours per night as a threshold for insufficient sleep.
To ensure a fair assessment, they also adjusted for other variables known to influence longevity, such as physical inactivity, employment status, and education level. Even after accounting for these factors, insufficient sleep remained linked to lower life expectancy, with smoking showing an even stronger relationship only.
“I didn’t expect to see such a strong link between insufficient sleep and life expectancy,” says Andrew McHill, a sleep physiologist at OHSU. “We’ve always understood that sleep is important, but this study really emphasizes that people should aim for seven to nine hours of sleep per night if possible.”
It’s important to note that this is purely observational research. It cannot prove that limited sleep directly trims months or years from a person’s life, nor can it untangle all the complex interactions between sleep, diet, and exercise. Still, the findings suggest that how much we sleep is a meaningful indicator of long-term health.
Adequate sleep is essential for nearly every aspect of well-being. Missing even a single night can alter brain circuits involved in appetite and mood and can also affect immune function. These effects help explain why sleep deficiency often accompanies obesity and diabetes—conditions that are themselves linked to shorter life expectancy.
The takeaway aligns with the idea that improving sleep can yield broad health benefits. Suggesting practical steps, the researchers note that sleep routines are at least partly within our control, even amid caregiving duties and work obligations. Reducing late-night doomscrolling, incorporating brief bouts of exercise such as yoga or tai chi, and cultivating regular bedtimes could all support better sleep.
Both the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society advocate aiming for seven or more hours of sleep per night, with some evidence that short weekend catch-up sleep may offset a little of the weekly deficit.
Ultimately, this work argues that sleep deserves as much attention as diet and physical activity when we consider strategies to improve health and longevity. The study was published in Sleep Advances.
But here’s where it gets controversial: should public health messaging shift more strongly toward sleep as a foundational pillar of longevity, even when people struggle with work schedules and caregiving? Do you think emphasis on sleep might overstate its role relative to nutrition and exercise, or is it a missing piece of the longevity puzzle? Share your thoughts in the comments.
