Regular Bedtime Associated with Better Metabolic Health in Adults

Following a set sleep schedule has numerous health benefits for older adults, new research suggests. 

Researchers at Duke University Medical Center studied 1,978 adults aged between 54 and 93 years who do not have any sleep disorders and evaluated their Sleep Regularity Index (SRI) and relationships between the SRI and cardiometabolic risk with Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) data. 

Sleep irregularity—not sleep duration—was correlated with delayed sleep timing, increased daytime sleep/sleepiness, reduced light exposure, and increased perceived stress and depression, both of which are linked to cardiometabolic disease, the researchers noted. Irregular sleepers were also at a greater 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity, hypertension, fasting glucose, hemoglobin A1C, and diabetes.  

“These results suggest that the SRI is a useful measure of sleep regularity in older adults,” the study authors wrote. “Additionally, sleep irregularity may represent a target for early identification and prevention of cardiometabolic disease.” 

The results only indicate an association, though, and do not establish cause and effect. 

“From our study, we can’t conclude that sleep irregularity results in health risks, or whether health conditions affect sleep,” said lead study author Dr. Jessica Lunsford-Avery, an assistant professor in psychiatry and behavioral sciences. “Perhaps all of these things are impacting each other.” 

“Perhaps there’s something about obesity that disrupts sleep regularity,” Lunsford-Avery said. “Or, as some research suggests, perhaps poor sleep interferes with the body’s metabolism which can lead to weight gain, and it’s a vicious cycle. With more research, we hope to understand what’s going on biologically, and perhaps then we could say what’s coming first or which is the chicken and which is the egg.” 

Read about how sleep affects your relationships here. 

Read about the association between sleep duration and hypertension in obstructive sleep apnea patients here. 

Are there associations between sleep bruxism, chronic stress, and sleep quality? 

Sources: Scientific Reports, Science Daily