Why a Regular Sleep Schedule May Matter More Than Hours Slept

Researchers analysed more than ten million hours of wrist-sensor data from 60,977 UK adults, average age 63, scoring how consistent each person's sleep and wake timing was from day to day. Those with the most regular patterns had between 20 and 48 percent lower risk of dying over the following years than the least regular, and regularity predicted mortality more strongly than how long people slept. Because sleep was measured objectively rather than self-reported, the finding rests on firmer ground than much sleep research, though as an observational study it cannot prove that steadying your schedule extends life. Age, health and lifestyle were accounted for, yet unmeasured factors could still play a part. For a woman whose sleep is squeezed by work and caregiving, it suggests that protecting the rhythm of when she sleeps deserves as much attention as the total hours.