The Sleep Habit That’s More Important Than Getting 8 Hours

livemint.com:

There is hope for those of us who live (and sleep) in the real world: Getting less than 8 hours of shut-eye a night doesn’t mean you’re doomed to an early grave. A recent study looking at sleep and longevity found that sleep “regularity"—going to bed and waking up at consistent times with few mid-slumber interruptions—matters more than how long you sleep. Sleeping six hours every night on a consistent schedule was associated with a lower risk of early death than sleeping eight hours with very irregular habits.

The study adds to a growing understanding of the links between sleep and longevity. Research in recent years has shown not only how important sleep is for health and lifespan, but also that the duration of sleep isn’t the only thing that matters. “We’ve been missing maybe half of the story," says Matt Walker, a neuroscientist and director of the Center for Human Sleep Science at the University of California, Berkeley, who wasn’t involved with the recent study.

“Not just how much you sleep but the regularity with which you sleep has now come onto the map and exploded as perhaps the more important thing." More than a third of Americans don’t get the seven to nine hours of sleep recommended by sleep and medical organizations on a regular basis, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. Roughly 20% report rarely or never waking up feeling well rested, according to a recent U.S. News & World Report survey.

The study, published in the journal Sleep, found that sleep regularity reduced the risk of premature death from any cause by 20% to 48% compared with those with the most irregular sleep. Irregular sleep habits included inconsistent sleep and wake times, interrupted sleep and napping. Sleep duration