According to recent research, a good night’s sleep has a positive impact on one’s overall well-being. Two recent studies highlight the importance of quality sleep across different age groups. Study findings are available in JAMA Network Open and PLoS ONE journal.

Lack of enough sleep affects one’s well-being.

In the first study involving children aged eight to 12, a decrease of only 39 minutes in their nightly sleep over a week resulted in a noticeable decline in their well-being. The second study focused on adults and revealed that the quality of sleep, regardless of the duration or timing, positively influenced their health, regardless of whether they were 18 or 96 years old. These findings emphasize that the benefits of sleep cannot be solely attributed to the quantity of sleep obtained.

Professor Rachael Taylor, from the University of Otago, conducted a study involving 100 children from Dunedin, New Zealand, to examine the effects of minor sleep deprivation on various aspects of their lives. The children were asked to modify their bedtime, going to bed one hour earlier for a week and then one hour later the following week, with a week of their regular sleep schedule in between. The study also introduced additional difficulties related to decreased social support and peer relationships for the children.

Poor sleep linked to low levels of life satisfaction

A recent study conducted on 4,250 adults aged 18 to 96 as part of the Czech Household Panel Survey revealed a correlation between poor sleep quality and lower levels of life satisfaction, well-being, happiness, and perceived health. The study emphasizes that better sleep leads to a better quality of life, regardless of the duration and timing of sleep. The researchers also observed that individuals who experienced an improvement in their sleep quality also reported an enhancement in their overall quality of life.

The outcomes of these investigations emphasize the significance of guaranteeing satisfactory sleep quality for individuals across all age brackets. Future studies should prioritize comprehending the effects of lifestyle modifications and psychological difficulties, particularly those intensified by the COVID-19 outbreak, on patterns of sleep.