Overview
- The peer-reviewed paper in Sleep Advances finds routinely getting under seven hours a night is associated with reduced life expectancy across U.S. counties.
- Sleep showed a stronger correlation with lifespan than diet, physical activity, or social isolation, with smoking the only factor more strongly linked.
- The analysis provides the first annual, state-by-state correlations by pairing county life expectancy with CDC survey responses collected from 2019 through 2025.
- Lead author Andrew McHill said the strength of the association surprised the team and advised aiming for seven to nine hours of sleep when possible.
- The authors emphasized the study is observational and did not probe biological mechanisms, noting established links between sleep and cardiovascular, immune, and cognitive health.