For decades, sleep has often been treated as expendable — something to be trimmed to make room for longer workdays, late-night scrolling, or packed schedules. But a major new U.S. study suggests that chronic sleep deprivation may come at a far greater cost than previously thought: a shorter life.
Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) report that communities where people regularly get less than seven hours of sleep per night have noticeably lower life expectancy. The association, published in SLEEP Advances, was stronger than links tied to poor diet, physical inactivity, obesity, or social isolation — surpassed only by smoking.
Rather than focusing on individual habits, the research examined sleep trends at a population level. Scientists analyzed CDC survey data from more than 3,000 counties across the United States, spanning 2019 to 2025. When sleep duration was compared with life expectancy year by year, a clear and consistent pattern emerged: counties with higher rates of insufficient sleep consistently had shorter lifespans.
“Honestly, I didn’t expect sleep to be so strongly correlated with life expectancy,” said senior author Dr. Andrew McHill, an associate professor at OHSU’s School of Nursing and School of Medicine. “We’ve always known sleep is important, but this really emphasizes that people should aim for seven to nine hours whenever possible.”
Sleep Outpaces Other Health Risks:-
The researchers evaluated a wide range of factors known to influence longevity, including smoking, obesity, diabetes, physical inactivity, education, unemployment, food insecurity, access to health insurance, and social connections. While many of these played a role, insufficient sleep consistently ranked among the most powerful predictors of shorter life expectancy.
Remarkably, the trend held true across geography and income levels. Large cities and rural counties, affluent regions and economically disadvantaged areas all showed the same relationship between sleep deprivation and reduced lifespan.
In Oregon, counties with higher levels of sleep loss showed visibly lower life expectancy compared to neighboring areas where residents slept longer — a pattern echoed nationwide.
A Wake-Up Call for Public Health:-
Much of the analysis was conducted by graduate students in OHSU’s Sleep, Chronobiology and Health Laboratory. While the health benefits of sleep are well established, the strength and consistency of the findings surprised even seasoned researchers.
“It makes intuitive sense, but seeing it appear so strongly across every state and year was striking,” McHill said.
Although the study did not explore biological mechanisms directly, researchers noted that sleep is essential for cardiovascular health, immune function, metabolism, and brain performance. Chronic sleep loss has already been linked to high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, depression, and anxiety.
“This shows we need to prioritize sleep just as much as diet and exercise,” McHill added. “A good night’s sleep doesn’t just help you feel better — it may help you live longer.”
