A recent study from Stockholm University highlights the profound impact of sleep on perceived age, revealing that just two nights of inadequate sleep can make one feel four years older. According to Leonie Balter, a researcher at the Department of Psychology, the team aimed to uncover whether sleep could be a key factor in maintaining a youthful sense of self. By surveying 429 individuals aged 18 to 70, they found that each night of poor sleep contributed to feeling an average of 0.23 years older. To delve deeper, another group of 186 participants aged 18 to 46 was instructed to restrict their sleep to four hours for two consecutive nights and then recover with nine hours of sleep for two nights. This second phase confirmed that restricted sleep significantly aged participants, with most reporting they felt 4.4 years older after the sleepless nights.
The study further revealed that participants’ perception of their age was closely tied to their level of alertness. When participants felt extremely alert, they perceived themselves as four years younger, whereas extreme tiredness led them to feel up to six years older. Balter emphasized the importance of sleep in preserving a youthful sense of age, noting that transitioning from a state of alertness to sleepiness added a remarkable ten years to one’s perceived age. This underscores the crucial role of good sleep hygiene in maintaining not just physical health but also a vibrant, youthful outlook, which can motivate healthier and more active lifestyles.
