A new study involving more than 3,100 adults has found a link between how old people feel and the quality of their sleep. The research suggests that feeling older than your actual age may be connected to worse sleep outcomes.
The study examined the relationship between subjective age, which is the age a person feels, and several measures of sleep health. Researchers looked at insomnia severity, overall sleep health, sleep regularity, and sleep-related problems during the day.
The group of participants had an average age of 42.8 years, and nearly half were women. They completed an online survey that asked about their demographic information, including the question “How old do you feel?” The survey also used validated tools to measure sleep, such as the Insomnia Severity Index and the Sleep Regularity Questionnaire. Depression, anxiety, and self-reported physical health were also assessed.
The difference between a person’s subjective age and their chronological age was calculated as a percentage. A positive value meant the person felt older, while a negative value meant they felt younger.
Feeling older linked to worse sleep
The results showed that people who felt older than their actual age reported more insomnia symptoms, more daytime impairments related to sleep, lower overall sleep health, and less consistent sleep schedules. This link between age discrepancy and sleep problems remained even after the researchers accounted for factors like chronological age, sex, race, depression, and anxiety.
The researchers also explored whether sleep might be a pathway through which feeling older affects physical health. They found that a higher age discrepancy was linked to more insomnia, greater sleep-related impairment, and lower sleep regularity. Each of these sleep issues was then linked to worse self-reported physical health. This suggests that sleep may be one way that feeling older takes a toll on the body.
A two-way relationship is likely
The study shows that feeling older predicts worse sleep, but it did not test whether poor sleep also makes people feel older. It is possible that the relationship works in both directions. Poor sleep can make daily tasks feel harder, increase body aches, lower mood, and reduce energy, which may lead people to interpret those feelings as signs of aging.
If sleep and subjective age reinforce each other, then improving sleep quality could be a direct way to change how old a person feels, beyond just improving rest.
Using the research to improve sleep
The study highlighted sleep regularity as a key factor linked to feeling older. Going to bed and waking up at roughly the same time every day, including weekends, may be one of the most effective changes a person can make.
Another common assumption is that sleep naturally gets worse with age and that nothing can be done about it. The research suggests this is not the case. Insomnia symptoms are treatable, and addressing them early may have positive effects on both physical health and how old a person feels.
The study also suggests that negative perceptions about aging may directly worsen sleep. Actively challenging the idea that feeling older is unavoidable may be part of the solution.
Daily habits such as consistent exercise, stress management, and exposure to morning light can support deep and regular sleep. These habits tend to reinforce each other, creating a cycle where better sleep, more movement, and lower stress work together over time.
