Do you feel older than you really are? Perhaps you should adjust your sleep pattern
Have you ever woken up feeling as though you’d aged over night? It seems that you are not insane, but you really need to adjust your sleep routine.
According to a new study from the Swedish Karolinska Institute that was published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences journal, you may feel as much as ten years older if you have disturbed sleep.
In order to investigate if sleep may affect one’s perception of age, the researchers conducted two experiments.
In the first research, 429 volunteers reported their self-perceived age over a 30-day period, and the results showed that subjective age increased by 0.23 years for every more sleep.
In the second study, 182 individuals’ sleep duration was restricted to four hours over the course of two nights. The results showed that this practice caused the participants’ age to grow by 4.44 years in comparison to those who slept for nine hours.
Both investigations discovered a connection between a 10-year age increase and a change in condition from very alert to extremely drowsy.
The study came to the conclusion that a lot of people feel younger than they actually are.
They wrote: “Although this phenomena is less common in younger people, it becomes more noticeable as we approach our thirties and beyond in terms of the difference between our actual age and how old we feel.
“Recent studies indicate that our sleep patterns could influence how old we perceive ourselves to be.
“It turns out that feeling younger than our actual age is associated with living longer, better mental health and physical health, and more positive psychological traits.”
“These discoveries open up new possibilities for fostering a youthful feeling,” they stated. “Safeguarding sleep is likely a key factor for feeling young.”
To prevent restless sleep, Healthline suggests trying relaxation exercises, shutting off technology, being active during the day, adhering to a regular sleep schedule, and eating a balanced diet.
I am a dedicated student currently in my seventh semester, pursuing a degree in International Relations. Alongside my academic pursuits, I am actively engaged in the professional field as a content writer at the Rangeinn website.
