Sleep Trajectories and All‑Cause Mortality Among Low‑Income Adults
Summary
This prospective cohort study tracked nearly 47,000 low-income Black and White adults in the Southern U.S. over five years to see how sleep duration patterns related to long-term mortality. Researchers identified nine “sleep trajectories,” including stable healthy sleep (7–9 hours), consistently long or short sleep, and shifts between categories. About two-thirds of participants had suboptimal sleep patterns. Compared with those who maintained healthy sleep, participants in the long-long, short-long, and long-short groups had up to a 29% higher risk of all-cause death and similar increases for cardiovascular mortality. No significant links were found for cancer or neurodegenerative deaths. Associations were strongest among White adults with higher incomes, underscoring how both biological and social factors shape outcomes.
Why It Matters For Night Shift Workers and Night Owls
This study shows that it’s not just how long you sleep at one point in time, but whether you keep that pattern steady over years that matters for health. Shifting between too much and too little sleep—or staying stuck at one extreme—was tied to a higher risk of early death, especially from heart disease. For people whose schedules disrupt consistent rest, the findings stress the importance of protecting stable, healthy sleep as a cornerstone of long-term health.
Notes
Open access.