Sleep '7:1' rule may add up to four years to your life

A large analysis by Vitality and the London School of Economics used millions of wearable sleep nights and found that getting at least seven hours of sleep and keeping bedtime within a one-hour window (the '7:1' rule) is associated with lower mortality and an estimated 2–4 extra years for some people.

A large analysis by Vitality and the London School of Economics examined millions of nights of wearable sleep data alongside health and insurance records. The researchers reported that a pattern they call '7:1' — at least seven hours of sleep and a one-hour bedtime window on most nights — is associated with lower mortality risk. The finding is being discussed because it links both sleep duration and bedtime regularity to estimated differences in life expectancy. Key findings: - The study analyzed about 47 million nights of sleep from roughly 105,000 people and combined those data with health, socio-economic and insurance information. - The researchers reported that getting at least seven hours of sleep and keeping bedtime within a one-hour window was associated with an estimated 24% lower mortality risk compared with shorter, irregular sleep. - Sticking to a one-hour bedtime window alone was reported to be linked with a 31% reduction in mortality risk. - The authors estimated the pattern could translate to about 2–4 additional years of life for an average person, noting the effect depends on age and baseline life expectancy. - The study also reported potential system-level effects, including modeled reductions in hospital admissions, and estimated large population-level gains if more people adopted the pattern. Summary: The study connects sleep duration and bedtime consistency with measurable differences in estimated mortality and healthcare outcomes, and the authors present the '7:1' pattern as one way to describe an optimal sleep profile. Undetermined at this time.