Those “extra” hours you squeeze out by staying up late for one more episode or another scroll through your feed come at a cost—your lifespan. A new study is reshaping what we thought we knew about health. Observational study highlights sleep’s vital role in nightly bodily repair In short, it’s time to stop cutting your sleep short.
Among all the risk factors examined, only smoking harms life expectancy more than poor sleep.
OHSU Study Flags Less Than Seven Hours of Sleep as a Major Longevity Risk
Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) reviewed U.S. data from 2019 to 2025, comparing reported sleep habits with life expectancy. They identified fewer than seven hours of sleep per night as the “danger zone.”
The researchers also accounted for other factors that influence lifespan—like inactivity, job type, and level of education. Even after controlling for these, the results held steady: insufficient sleep is a striking predictor of early death.
Andrew McHill, a sleep physiologist at OHSU, says the intensity of the connection surprised even him: “We’ve always known sleep matters, but this study really drives it home—people should aim for seven to nine hours a night whenever they can.”
Observational Study Reinforces Sleep’s Critical Role in the Body’s Nightly Repair Work
And while the study is observational—showing a strong association rather than proving direct causation—scientists already understand that sleep is when the body performs essential biological upkeep.
Missing even a single night of sleep disrupts brain networks and weakens the immune system. Over time, chronic sleep loss is associated with obesity and diabetes—both of which significantly shorten lifespan. “It seems obvious, but it was striking to see the data reflect it so powerfully in the models,” McHill notes.
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