STOCKHOLM: Have you ever experienced waking up in the morning feeling like you aged overnight? Well, it might not be a sign of craziness but rather a signal that your sleep schedule needs adjustment.
A recent study conducted by researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden and published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences suggests that disrupted sleep can make you feel as much as 10 years older.
The researchers conducted two separate studies to investigate the impact of sleep on subjective age perception. In the first study, involving 429 participants, it was found that with each additional night of disturbed sleep, participants reported feeling approximately 0.23 years older, based on their self-perceived age recorded over a 30-day period.
The second study, which limited the sleep time of 182 participants to four hours per night over two nights, revealed that this sleep restriction led to an increase in subjective age by an average of 4.44 years compared to those who slept for nine hours.
Both studies indicated a correlation between a shift from a highly alert to an extremely drowsy state and a perceived age increase of up to 10 years.
The researchers concluded that many individuals experience a discrepancy between their chronological age and how old they feel, with this phenomenon becoming more pronounced as people enter their thirties and beyond. They emphasized that emerging research suggests a potential link between sleep patterns and subjective age perception.
Furthermore, they noted that feeling younger than one’s actual age is associated with various benefits, including longevity, better mental and physical health, and positive psychological traits. Therefore, safeguarding adequate sleep may be crucial for maintaining a youthful feeling.
According to Healthline, adopting relaxation techniques, minimizing electronic device usage before bedtime, staying physically active during the day, maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, and consuming a balanced diet are recommended strategies to promote better sleep quality and avoid restlessness.
