If you want to age healthily, start by sleeping well. A team of researchers from Wenzhou Medical University (China) has found that changes in sleep patterns as we age are associated with lower odds of healthy aging.
According to the study, published in ‘BMC Public Health’, healthy aging is defined by five key components:
Absence of major chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer, chronic lung diseases, heart disease and stroke; have no physical limitations, assessed by the ability to independently perform daily activities (dressing, bathing, eating); have normal cognitive function, measured through tests such as telephone cognitive interviews, drawing tasks, and word memory tasks; good mental health, determined by a low score on the depression scale Center for Epidemiological Studiesactive participation in life, through social activities such as meeting friends, playing games such as mahjong or chess, and attending community events.
The study was carried out with a cohort of 3,306 Chinese participants, free of chronic diseases in 2011 and who reached 60 years of age or older in 2020. Their sleep patterns (night hours and daytime naps) in 2011, 2013 and 2015 were analyzed.
The results showed five different sleep patterns: stable-normal, stable-long, decreasing, increasing and stable-short. Logistic regression models, adjusting for factors such as age, sex, and educational level, examined the relationship between these patterns and successful aging.
Participants with stable increasing or short sleep patterns had lower odds of healthy aging, with adjusted odds ratios of 0.64 and 0.48, respectively. The decreasing pattern also showed a negative trend, although it was not statistically significant. The long-stable pattern did not show significant differences compared to the normal-stable pattern.
Overall, only 13.8% of the cohort met the criteria for healthy aging in 2020. These findings suggest that maintaining a stable and adequate sleep duration is crucial for healthy aging, highlighting the importance of public health strategies focused on sleep. dream for China’s aging population, which faces rapid aging and growing health challenges.
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