Sleep regularity has emerged as a bigger factor in determining all-cause mortality with up 48 per cent lower risk of an early death among people who adhered to a strict pattern of sleep timing.
There is already a considerable number of studies claiming abnormally short and long sleep are associated with premature mortality.
However, a research published in the journal Sleep has claimed that sleep time consistency could be a stronger predictor of an early death.
The research indicated that sleep regularity may be an important predictor of mortality risk and a stronger predictor than sleep duration.
"Sleep regularity may be a simple, effective target for improving general health and survival," the authors said.
The research involved 60 977 UK Biobank participants, aged 40-69, who were recruited between 2006 and 2010. They were asked to wear Axivity AX3 devices (Axivity, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK) on their dominant wrist for seven days under free-living conditions between 2013 and 2016.
The researcher assessed the participants' similarity of sleep patterns from one day to the next and also calculated sleep duration on a daily basis.
They then prepared Sleep Regularity Index (SRI) scores from more than 10 million hours of accelerometer data.
The study revealed that the participants in the top four quintiles had a 20 per cent–48 per cent lower risk of all-cause mortality compared to those with SRI scores in the bottom quintile.
"Results were adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity, and sociodemographic, lifestyle, and health factors. Sleep regularity was a stronger predictor of all-cause mortality than sleep duration, by comparing equivalent mortality models," the authors wrote.
The study also predicted a 16–39 per cent lower risk of cancer mortality, and a 22–57 per cent lower risk of cardiometabolic mortality across the top four quintiles.
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