Does a lack of sleep cause ageing? A longevity expert explains
Sleep: who really feels like they get enough of the good stuff? Very few, that's who, with research from Mental Health UK shows one in five people in the UK don't sleep enough.
Tiredness doesn't just cause grogginess, mood issues and a higher chance of skipping healthy habits (no one is prioritising the gym when they're knackered). A lack of sleep is linked to ageing, with those who get fewer hours of shut-eye having signs of older age, according to a study published in Nature.
Interestingly, the study also found that those who slept too long were also at a risk of ageing faster.
While we typically associate ageing with wrinkling skin, it's about so much more than that says Dr Sandra Kaufmann, a medical doctor, cellular health expert and founder of the longevity method The Kaufmann Protocol.
'In the realm of longevity, we differentiate between chronologic age and physiologic or biological age,' she says. While you work out your chronological age by adding the years since you were born, physiological and biological age are determined by health markers. These include signs from 'epigenetic changes in DNA to respiratory capacity,' adds Dr Kaufmann.
Does a lack of sleep cause ageing?
'We know that it sleep is critical, and as such, sleep measurement has become a global obsession,' says Dr Kaufmann. 'Advice on how to sleep is omnipresent, with most of it focusing on controlling the external stimuli that help to control sleep such as temperature, light and food.
'What few people are aware of, however, is the actual circadian cycle of why and how we sleep.' Your circadian pattern works like a clock, dictating when it's time to be alert and awake and when it's time to snooze.
'It turns out that almost every cell in the body has its own circadian pattern, controlled by a central system in the brain that makes sure that every cell is cycling in harmony.
'Within these cells, there are two proteins that put you to sleep (BMAL1 and CLOCK), two proteins that wake you up (Cryptochrome and Period), and two proteins that alter the magnitude of these shifts (RORa and REVERBa).
'As we age, several things go wrong; we make less of these proteins and the control of these proteins is lost. As a direct consequence, we sleep less and less over time, and the timing itself of sleep gets shifted.
'As an indirect consequence, these proteins also control up to 40% of cellular function, including crucial aspects like protein production and repair, and DNA repair. Therefore, sleep deficiency leads to cell failure, leading to disease, cancer and accelerated ageing.'
It's a cycle that means as we age, we sleep less, which ages our cells more.
Other reasons for a lack of sleep causing ageing is down to how it impacts telomeres. These are the protective caps on the ends of chromosomes that protect them from damage. A 2023 literature review from Brain, Behavior, & Immunity showed that people with shorter sleep durations had significantly shorter telomeres, impacting their immunity and health.
Not to mention: sleep is when all of our processes restore and reset. Without sleep, the body can struggle to get rid of waste products, leading to inflammation; failure to regulate hormones and be unable to repair oxidative stress.
How much sleep should you get to prevent ageing?
Like most health protocols, there's no one-size-fits-all.
'The amount of sleep necessary to stave off early ageing is very specific to the person and their physical state, and what the body has to accomplish in that period of time. There is no one-size-fits-all hour count to shoot for,' says Dr Kaufmann.
The recommended amount of sleep we need is between seven to nine hours, depending on the person and their circumstances.
'Muscle and tissue growth as an adolescent clearly requires more time, for example, explaining why teenagers will sleep until noon if left unchecked,' says Kaufmann. 'As we age, our requirements similarly are going to be determined by the demands we place on our bodies. Building muscle, fighting a cold, dealing with stress or learning new things all correlate to an increased need for sleep.'
How to improve sleep for longevity
Better sleep means working in time with our body's circadian rhythms, says Dr Kaufmann.
'In order to improve sleep as with age and with stress, I believe we need to focus on the underlying, internal systems rather than just the external stimuli,' she says. Attempting to reset your clock can feel hard, but she reassures that, 'The body knows what it needs, we just have to listen carefully.'
There are some supplements that may help, she says. For example, the BMAL1 and CLOCK proteins that put you to sleep can be stimulated by selenium, found in Brazil nuts. NAD, a well-known longevity molecule that declines by the age of 40, controls circadian rhythms and can also be supplemented, she adds.
However, starting with the basics is the best way to sleep more and for longer. Things like getting off your phone, making a healthy sleep environment and doing relaxing activities at night matter. In turn, those healthy habits will further aid you on your way to longevity.
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