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Sleep regularity is a stronger predictor of mortality than sleep duration (2023)

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Re: Sleep regularity is a stronger predictor of mortality than sleep duration (2023)

#21

Post by noduerme »

I wonder how this translates if the irregularity is by choice. I can certainly see why people working back to back night and day shifts, or otherwise frequently being at a sleep debt that was compensated for later, would die younger.

But as a freelancer, my sleep schedule is more or less my own. I go to sleep when I'm tired and usually try to sleep as long as I want to. Sometimes that's 11pm-10am, sometimes 6am-11am. It can oscillate throughout the week, but I try to average 16 hours of sleep in any given 48 hour period.

Maybe this is incredibly unhealthy, but I've believed for a long time that it's kept me younger and healthier than being forced into a sleep rhythm that isn't what my body wants.

Re: Sleep regularity is a stronger predictor of mortality than sleep duration (2023)

#22

Post by slfnflctd »

greatpostman wrote: post #6

This is probably correlated with so many other cofounding factors, like employment/stress/substance abuse

Regardless of that reality, circadian rhythms have been extensively studied, and there is more evidence than just this study to support the claim they're making. Patterns and routines are generally beneficial as a rule.

That being said, there is a lot of diversity amongst us, and I'm quite sure that when you factor in (epi-)genetic variation - particularly in the short to medium term - there are some unexpected advantage/cost ratios to wildly different strategies.

Re: Sleep regularity is a stronger predictor of mortality than sleep duration (2023)

#23

Post by danparsonson »

nativeit wrote: post #16
anonym29 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Whew, glad we covered all 6 of the known possible confounding variables.

You are willfully taking more away from that than was stated. Such a fallacy is a favorite trope among science denialists, and those who would distort the objectivity of research for misinformed (and/or dishonest) ends. I don’t know what, if any, specific motivations you have, but I think it’s worth pointing out.

Their point was, there are other confounding variables, and therefore the parent comment doesn't negate the grandparent comment. I agree, and I am absolutely not a science denialist.

Re: Sleep regularity is a stronger predictor of mortality than sleep duration (2023)

#24

Post by spazbob »

This feels like one of those points that go back to our recent history vs the last 100,000 years of evolution.

Before artifical light, alarm clocks, jobs, screens with blue light etc - we presumably woke and slept fairly consistently, no doubt tied partly to sunlight and temperature. Some people probably slept more than others, as they always have, but I wouldn't be surprised if there was a lot more consistency.

Disclaimer: I know nothing, just interested

Re: Sleep regularity is a stronger predictor of mortality than sleep duration (2023)

#25

Post by atomicnumber3 »

noduerme wrote: post #21

I wonder how this translates if the irregularity is by choice . I can certainly see why people working back to back night and day shifts, or otherwise frequently being at a sleep debt that was compensated for later, would die younger. But as a freelancer, my sleep schedule is more or less my own. I go to sleep when I'm tired and usually try to sleep as long as I want to. Sometimes that's 11pm-10am, sometimes 6am-11am…

As someone whose natural sleep cycle seems to be closer to 26-28 hours, and whose preferred sleeping hours in a 24-hour cycle are 6am to 2-3pm... I commend you.

Sincerely, someone forced into a "normal" schedule by kids school start times and, well, everything else too, I suppose.

Re: Sleep regularity is a stronger predictor of mortality than sleep duration (2023)

#26

Post by meindnoch »

PittleyDunkin wrote: post #17
Calavar wrote: post #13

> We aimed to assess the relationship of objectively measured sleep regularity with risk for all-cause mortality, and mortality from cardiometabolic causes and cancer, in a large cohort (N = 60 977) who wore accelerometer devices for 1 week. They look at one week of sleep data and then check mortality records about 10 to 15 years later. It's hard to argue a causative effect between one week of bad sleep and death pot…

> It's hard to argue a causative effect between one week of bad sleep and death potentially 10+ years out. Statistically—absolutely, I agree with you, but controls and sample sizes can always be improved. Narratively—it's also not difficult to see: "gunk builds up in brain; gunk requires regular removal; sleep removes gunk; stable sleep removes gunk better than unstable sleep" It's difficult to blame people for emoti…

99% of people die from causes other than "brain gunk".

Re: Sleep regularity is a stronger predictor of mortality than sleep duration (2023)

#27

Post by 7e »

meindnoch wrote: post #26
PittleyDunkin wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's hard to argue a causative effect between one week of bad sleep and death potentially 10+ years out. Statistically—absolutely, I agree with you, but controls and sample sizes can always be improved. Narratively—it's also not difficult to see: "gunk builds up in brain; gunk requires regular removal; sleep removes gunk; stable sleep removes gunk better than unstable sleep" It's difficult to blame people for emoti…

99% of people die from causes other than "brain gunk".

Brain gunk could accelerate those causes, no?

Re: Sleep regularity is a stronger predictor of mortality than sleep duration (2023)

#28

Post by noduerme »

atomicnumber3 wrote: post #25
noduerme wrote: post #21

I wonder how this translates if the irregularity is by choice . I can certainly see why people working back to back night and day shifts, or otherwise frequently being at a sleep debt that was compensated for later, would die younger. But as a freelancer, my sleep schedule is more or less my own. I go to sleep when I'm tired and usually try to sleep as long as I want to. Sometimes that's 11pm-10am, sometimes 6am-11am…

As someone whose natural sleep cycle seems to be closer to 26-28 hours, and whose preferred sleeping hours in a 24-hour cycle are 6am to 2-3pm... I commend you. Sincerely, someone forced into a "normal" schedule by kids school start times and, well, everything else too, I suppose.

Hah. I've often thought that my actual rhythm is for a 25-26 hour day. I was going to write that but it seemed like too much to explain. As I go to bed later and later, eventually I find myself awake past sunrise, which is usually the day when I'll intentionally have a short sleep and snap back to an early bedtime that night.

Kids would definitely screw up this aspect of my lifestyle lol. But kids give you immortality, and here I am just wondering if I'm gaining or losing a couple years.

Re: Sleep regularity is a stronger predictor of mortality than sleep duration (2023)

#29

Post by swyx »

neom wrote: post #2

Interesting, I have a DEC2 mutation and don't need much sleep, but I do sleep very consistently. When I was first working through this discovery, I asked the dr how it was that people who have this have no adverse effects when folks always say not sleeping long enough is bad for your health and he said "well, we don't really know that's true" and kinda shrugged it off.

when you say dont need much sleep, are we talking 6 hours or something more out thre like 4 hours or less?

Re: Sleep regularity is a stronger predictor of mortality than sleep duration (2023)

#30

Post by foota »

neom wrote: post #2

Interesting, I have a DEC2 mutation and don't need much sleep, but I do sleep very consistently. When I was first working through this discovery, I asked the dr how it was that people who have this have no adverse effects when folks always say not sleeping long enough is bad for your health and he said "well, we don't really know that's true" and kinda shrugged it off.

I realize this is far off, but I'm hoping that someday I can get gene therapy to get this.
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