Sleep as Important as Diet & Exercise for Living Longer, Researchers Say

In a new study, getting less than seven hours of sleep per night showed a significant negative correlation with life expectancy, even after accounting for other health and socioeconomic factors

New research from Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) suggests those short sleep sessions may cost something  more valuable than productivity.

The new data suggests chronic sleep loss may be taking a measurable toll on life expectancy. The study, published in Sleep Advances, explored CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System surveys from 2019 to 2025 to see how lack of sleep stacks up against the usual drivers of long-term health. Researchers controlled for smoking, diet and inactivity to zero in on sleep’s true impact.

The CDC defines “sufficient sleep” as at least seven hours a night, a standard echoed by leading sleep groups.

 Across most states and every year analyzed, insufficient sleep showed a significant negative correlation with life expectancy, even after the models accounted for other health behaviors. Only smoking had a stronger association with a shorter lifespan.

The authors, primarily graduate students in the Sleep, Chronobiology and Health Laboratory of the OHSU School of Nursing, noted that the pattern persisted regardless of income or access to care, pointing to adequate sleep as a meaningful public health factor in every community.

Andrew McHill, an OHSU sleep physiologist and the study’s senior author, told OHSU News that even he was surprised by the study’s findings.

“I’m a sleep physiologist who understands the health benefits of sleep, but the strength of the association between sleep sufficiency and life expectancy was remarkable to me,” he said.

“This research shows that we need to prioritize sleep at least as much as we do to what we eat or how we exercise,” he said. “Sometimes, we think of sleep as something we can set aside and maybe put off until later or on the weekend. Getting a good night’s sleep will improve how you feel but also how long you live.”