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Extreme sleep durations linked to faster biological aging across organ systems, study finds

Researchers analyzing data from half a million participants found that sleeping less than six hours or more than eight hours correlates with accelerated aging in nearly every organ system.

Updated Aug 24, 2026 · 14:19 UTC1 reports

The short version

  • A study led by Columbia University researchers using UK Biobank data identified that individuals sleeping between 6.4 and 7.8 hours daily exhibited the lowest levels of biological aging.
  • Both short sleep (fewer than 6 hours) and long sleep (more than 8 hours) were associated with accelerated biological aging across 17 organ systems and linked to various chronic physical and mental health conditions.
  • Researchers emphasized that the observational study shows correlation rather than direct causation, suggesting extreme sleep habits may serve as an indicator of broader health issues or operate through distinct biological pathways.

Key facts

  • Researchers evaluated 23 biological aging clocks spanning 17 organ systems using data from approximately 500,000 UK Biobank participants.[ScienceDaily]
  • Participants reporting between 6.4 and 7.8 hours of daily sleep demonstrated the lowest levels of biological aging across organ systems.[ScienceDaily]
  • Short sleep duration was associated with psychiatric disorders, cardiovascular diseases, obesity, and type 2 diabetes.[ScienceDaily]
  • Both short and long sleep durations were correlated with respiratory conditions like asthma and COPD, as well as gastrointestinal issues like gastritis.[ScienceDaily]
  • The study was published in the journal Nature and led by Junhao Wen of the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.[ScienceDaily]

What remains uncertain

  • The study's design cannot confirm whether sleep duration directly causes changes in biological organ aging or if altered sleep is a symptom of underlying poor health.[ScienceDaily]
  • It remains unverified whether abnormal sleep durations cause late-life depression or if depression alters sleep duration, though mediation analysis suggested differing biological pathways between short and long sleepers.[ScienceDaily]

Sources