A new study from Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) indicates that not getting enough sleep may reduce life expectancy. The findings were published in the journal SLEEP Advances.
The research team analyzed data from a nationwide database, comparing county-level average life expectancy with survey responses collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) between 2019 and 2025. Their analysis found that, aside from smoking, sleep was a stronger predictor of life expectancy than other factors such as diet, exercise, or loneliness.
The study was led by graduate students in the Sleep, Chronobiology and Health Laboratory at OHSU's School of Nursing. While previous studies have linked lack of sleep to higher mortality risk, this research is the first to show year-to-year correlations between sleep and life expectancy across every U.S. state.
For their model, researchers used the CDC's definition of sufficient sleep: at least seven hours per night, which aligns with recommendations from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society. They observed consistent correlations each year and in most states between adequate sleep and longer life expectancy.
Researcher McHill commented on the findings: "It's intuitive and makes a lot of sense, but it was still striking to see it materialize so strongly in all of these models," McHill said. "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."
McHill added: "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."
Other authors on the study include Kathryn E. McAuliffe, B.S., Madeline R. Wary, B.S., Gemma V. Pleas, B.A., Kiziah E.S. Pugmire, B.S., Courtney Lysiak, B.A., Nathan F. Dieckmann, Ph.D., and Brooke M. Shafer, Ph.D.
