Missing out on adequate sleep could be taking years off your life.

New research from the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), published in the journal Sleep Advances, found that poor sleep may shorten life expectancy more than other lifestyle factors like diet, exercise and loneliness.

The researchers analyzed nationwide CDC survey data, identifying trends associated with average life expectancy by county, according to a press release.

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The study found that lack of adequate sleep led to higher mortality risk in every U.S. state and was the top behavioral driver compared to other factors, only behind smoking.

Senior study author Andrew McHill, Ph.D., associate professor and director of the Sleep, Chronobiology, and Health Laboratory in the OHSU School of Nursing, noted in a statement that he did not expect sleep to be “so strongly correlated” to life expectancy.

“We’ve always thought sleep is important, but this research really drives that point home: People really should strive to get seven to nine hours of sleep, if at all possible,” he said.

“This research shows that we need to prioritize sleep at least as much as we do [in] what we eat or how we exercise.”

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In a previous interview with Fox News Digital, Dr. Daniel Amen, psychiatrist and owner of Amen Clinics in California, emphasized how important sleep is for brain function and longevity.

“Sleep is so important,” he said. “When you sleep, your brain cleans and washes itself. And if you don’t sleep seven to nine hours at night, your brain looks older than you are — there’s less blood flow, and it increases inflammation in the brain.”

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“Your brain doesn’t have enough time to get rid of the toxins that build up during the day.”

Lack of adequate sleep can lead to poor decisions and foster toxic cycles, the doctor warned. 

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“If your brain has less activity in the front part, not only are you tired, but you’re also hungrier, and you’re more likely to not make the best decisions,” he said. 

“Which, of course, will stress you out, and then you won’t sleep well the next night.”

One small change to promote longevity and brain health is to try getting to bed 15 minutes earlier, Amen suggested.

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“Really be purposeful about not being distracted by Netflix or your phone,” he said.

“And when you get up in the morning, say to yourself, ‘Today is going to be a great day.’ The more positive you are, the better your brain.”

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Humans have been chewing gum for thousands of years, long after the flavor fades and without any clear nutritional benefit.

The habit dates back at least 8,000 years to Scandinavia, where people chewed birchbark pitch to soften it into a glue for tools. Other ancient cultures, including the Greeks, Native Americans and the Maya, also chewed tree resins for pleasure or soothing effects, National Geographic recently reported.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, William Wrigley Jr. transformed chewing gum from a novelty into a mass consumer habit through relentless and innovative marketing. His brands, including Juicy Fruit and Spearmint, promoted gum as a way to calm nerves, curb hunger and stay focused.

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“Are you worried? Chew gum,” an article from 1916 said, according to Kerry Segrave’s book, “Chewing Gum in America, 1850-1920: The Rise of an Industry.” “Do you lie awake at night? Chew gum,” it continued. “Are you depressed? Is the world against you? Chew gum.”

In the 1940s, a study found chewing resulted in lower tension but couldn’t say why. 

“The gum-chewer relaxes and gets more work done,” The New York Times wrote at the time about the study’s results.

Gum became an early form of wellness, and companies are trying to revive that idea today as gum sales decline, according to National Geographic.

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But only now are scientists finally beginning to understand the biology behind those long-standing beliefs.

A 2025 review by researchers at the University of Szczecin in Poland analyzed more than three decades of brain-imaging studies to examine what happens inside the brain when people chew gum. Using MRI, EEG and near-infrared spectroscopy research, the authors found that chewing alters brain activity in regions tied to movement, attention and stress regulation.

The findings help clarify why the seemingly pointless task can feel calming or focusing, even once the flavor has faded.

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Chewing gum activated not only the brain’s motor and sensory networks involved in chewing, but also higher-order regions linked to attention, alertness and emotional control, the review found. EEG studies found brief shifts in brain-wave patterns linked to heightened alertness and what researchers call “relaxed concentration.”

“If you’re doing a fairly boring task for a long time, chewing seems to be able to help with concentration,” Crystal Haskell-Ramsay, a professor of biological psychology at Northumbria University, told National Geographic.

The review also supports earlier findings that gum chewing can ease stress, but only in certain situations. In laboratory experiments, people who chewed gum during mildly stressful tasks such as public speaking or mental math often reported lower anxiety levels than those who didn’t.

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Chewing gum did not, however, consistently reduce anxiety in high-stress medical situations, such as immediately before surgery, and it offered no clear benefit when participants faced unsolvable problems designed to induce frustration.

Across multiple studies, people who chewed gum did not remember lists of words or stories better than those who didn’t, the researchers also found, and any boost in attention faded soon after chewing stopped.

Gum may simply feed the desire to fidget, experts suspect.

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“Although these effects are often short-lived, the range of outcomes … underscores chewing gum’s capacity to modulate brain function beyond simple oral motor control,” the researchers wrote.

“However, at this time, the neural changes associated with gum chewing cannot be directly linked to the positive behavioral and functional outcomes observed in studies,” they added.

Future research should address longer-term impacts, isolate flavor or stress variables and explore potential therapeutic applications, the scientists said.

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The findings also come with caveats beyond brain science. Although sugar-free gum may help reduce cavities, Fox News Digital has previously reported that dentists warn acids, sweeteners and excessive chewing may harm teeth or trigger other side effects.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the study’s authors for comment.