Overview
- OHSU researchers report that insufficient sleep shows a stronger association with lower life expectancy than poor diet or lack of exercise, trailing only smoking.
- The study analyzed county-by-county surveys across all U.S. states from 2019 to 2025, using the CDC threshold of at least seven hours per night as sufficient sleep.
- Authors emphasize that the results are ecological correlations rather than proof of individual causation, yet argue the pattern warrants sleep-focused public‑health action.
- Coverage highlights structural drivers of poor sleep such as long work hours, unpredictable schedules and constant digital connectivity, with large shares of the public reporting poor rest in countries like Spain.
- Neuroscience reporting underscores active sleep functions and risks, noting impaired glymphatic clearance with poor sleep and prior findings that weak or irregular circadian rhythms correspond to markedly higher dementia risk.