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A recent study revealed that sleepiness makes you feel 10 years older than your age, which emphasizes the necessity of getting enough sleep.

The study was conducted by researchers led by Dr. Leonie Balter from Stockholm University, Sweden, and its results were published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B on March 27. The website Science Daily wrote about it.

Feeling young is not just a personal feeling, but rather something related to health data. Previous studies have shown that feeling younger than one's age is linked to a longer and healthier life. There is also evidence to support that a person's sense of age reflects the true age of his brain. Sleep is an essential factor in brain health and overall human well-being. It is also associated with positive psychological behaviors such as optimism, hope, and resilience.

Many people feel younger than their actual age. This phenomenon is less common among younger individuals, but after the age of 30, the difference between the real age and the age we feel becomes more apparent.

A previous study on health and retirement showed that people who feel older than their actual age suffer from 20-70% greater memory decline.

Sleeping a few hours increases the age you feel

Dr Leonie Balter said they decided to search for any secrets behind the role sleep plays in maintaining a feeling of youth. The study included two sections.

The first part of the study was conducted on 429 people between the ages of 18-70 years. The researchers asked them how old they felt and how many days they did not sleep adequately during the past month. They were also asked about how sleepy they felt.

The results showed that for every night in which a person did not sleep sufficiently, he or she felt older by an average of 0.23 years.

In the second part of the study, the researchers restricted the sleep of 186 people for two nights and allowed them to spend only 4 hours in their beds each night. They then allowed them to sleep enough for two nights, for 9 hours each night.

Participants whose sleep was restricted felt 4.4 years older than their actual age compared to people who enjoyed adequate sleep.

The effect of sleep on a person's age appears to be related to how sleepy a person feels. Feeling alert was associated with an age 4 years younger than the actual age, while feeling extremely sleepy was associated with an age 6 years older than the actual age.

Dr. Balter explained that the difference in age between feeling sleepy and feeling awake is the sum of the two sections of the study, meaning 10 years.

Sleep and health

According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, sleep is essential for health, as it affects cognitive functions, mood, mental health, and cardiovascular health. Sleeping enough hours reduces injuries that occur on the road and in the workplace resulting from drowsiness and fatigue.

On the other hand, lack of sleep in the short and long term, disturbances in the biological clock, and sleep disorders that are not treated harm the community’s safety and mental and physical health. Not sleeping enough hours for a long period of time is associated with an increased likelihood of death and increases the social burdens associated with a number of diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.

Sleep quality

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that although it is important to sleep for sufficient hours, there are other important factors that affect a person’s health. Sleep quality is also an important factor. Signs that indicate poor sleep quality include not feeling rested despite sleeping enough hours, waking up frequently during the night, and feeling symptoms of sleep disorders such as snoring and panting.

Healthy sleeping habits

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the following for healthy sleep habits:

  • Sleep regularly by going to bed at the same time every night and waking up at the same time, even on weekends.

  • Ensure that the bedroom is quiet and dark, and that it is comfortable and has an appropriate temperature.

  • Remove electronic devices such as TV, computer, and phone from the bedroom.

  • Avoid large meals and coffee before bed.

  • Non-smoking.

  • Exercising during the day, as people who are active during the day can sleep easier at night.

Source: Al Jazeera + websites + Eurek Alert