Health
Finding the sleep ‘sweet spot’ could help you live longer, study suggests
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
How long you sleep could be linked to how long you’ll live.
A new study, published in the journal Nature, found that people who slept too little or too long showed signs of “older biology.”
Researchers from Columbia University in New York used global biobank data from about 500,000 people who disclosed self-reported sleep duration in a 24-hour period, including naps.
DEEP SLEEP CAN KEEP TWO BIG HEALTH PROBLEMS AT BAY, NEW STUDIES SUGGEST
Reported sleep times were compared with 23 biological aging clocks, estimating whether various parts of the body looked biologically older or younger than the individual’s actual age.
Short and long sleep were both linked with signals of a higher biological age. They were also associated with a higher risk of future diseases and all-cause mortality, the researchers found.
According to study results, short sleep and long sleep were both linked with signals of higher biological age. (iStock)
In nine of the aging clocks, the researchers found “statistically significant” links between sleep and aging, including in the brain, heart, immune system and skin.
Those with the “lowest biological age gap” were women who slept for 6.5 to 7.8 hours and men who slept for 6.4 to 7.7 hours, according to the study.
Longer sleep had a stronger link to psychiatric-related outcomes, while short sleep had more physical impacts on cardiovascular, metabolic, musculoskeletal, psychiatric, neurological, pulmonary and gastrointestinal conditions.
HERE’S WHY 90% OF AMERICANS DON’T SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT, ACCORDING TO EXPERT
The U-shaped results also showed that shorter sleep led to a 50% higher relative risk for all-cause mortality, while longer sleep had about a 40% higher risk.
The researchers noted that self-reported sleep poses a limitation to the study. As it was observational in design, it does not prove that sleeping exactly six to eight hours will slow aging.
Both women and men who slept roughly six to eight hours showed the lowest signals for biological aging. (iStock)
Saema Tahir, MD, a New York-based board-certified sleep medicine physician, reflected on these findings in an interview with Fox News Digital.
“Sleep is really when the body does its most critical repair work, including cellular restoration, immune regulation, hormonal balance, and even clearing out metabolic waste from the brain through what we call the glymphatic system,” said Tahir, who was not involved in the study.
AGING PROCESS COULD ACCELERATE DUE TO ‘FOREVER CHEMICALS’ EXPOSURE, STUDY FINDS
“When sleep is consistently too short or too long, those processes get disrupted. Over time, that disruption accumulates at the cellular level.”
This effect is proven in increased inflammatory markers and cellular changes, which are “hallmarks of accelerated aging,” Tahir noted.
“So, the relationship isn’t just correlational; there are real physiological mechanisms connecting poor sleep to the body aging faster than it should.”
“Sleep is really when the body does its most critical repair work,” the doctor noted. (iStock)
Tahir cautions her patients not to treat the six- to eight-hour recommendation as a “rigid prescription,” as sleep is individualized.
For example, a healthy 25-year-old and a 70-year-old with cardiovascular disease have “very different sleep architecture and needs,” according to the expert.
DO WOMEN NEED MORE SLEEP THAN MEN? HERE’S WHAT EXPERTS THINK
“What I tell my patients is to use that range as a starting framework, but pay attention to how you feel,” she advised. “Are you waking up refreshed? Can you stay alert throughout the day without caffeine propping you up? Those functional cues matter just as much as the number on the clock.”
For certain people, like pregnant women, athletes and people recovering from illness, these sleep needs can shift “considerably.”
As sleep is individualized, a rigid six- to eight-hour framework may not work for everyone. (iStock)
“Sleep duration is important, but … getting adequate sleep and REM sleep that allows our bodies to heal, clear, process and repair is much more important,” Tahir said.
Regardless of sleep time, those who don’t achieve quality sleep often struggle, she shared.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
“I’ve seen patients who log seven hours but spend most of that time in light sleep, barely touching the deep slow-wave or REM stages that are most restorative,” Tahir said. “They age just as poorly, sometimes worse, than someone getting six hours of genuinely consolidated, high-quality sleep.”
Deep sleep is the phase when growth hormone is released and tissue repair peaks, and REM sleep is “critical” for cognitive health and emotional regulation, according to the expert.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
“So, chasing hours without addressing sleep fragmentation, sleep apnea or poor sleep architecture is missing the bigger picture,” she said.
The takeaway from this study, according to Tahir, is that sleep is not a “lifestyle luxury,” but a “biological necessity with measurable consequences for how we age and how healthy we are.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
There’s still a cultural tendency to see sleep deprivation as a “badge of productivity,” which she pushes back against. “But I also want people to avoid the other extreme — health anxiety about their sleep can actually make sleep worse.”
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
The sleep expert concluded that “consistent, good-quality sleep is one of the most accessible tools we have for healthy aging.”
“It doesn’t require a prescription or expensive intervention — it requires prioritization.”
Novo Nordisk to slash Wegovy, Ozempic list prices
Board certified rheumatologist Dr. Mahsa Tehrani discusses Novo Nordisk’s decision to dramatically cut the U.S. list prices for its popular diabetes and weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy on ‘America Reports.’
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Millions of Medicare beneficiaries struggling with obesity could soon see the cost of weight-loss drugs plummet, as a new federal pilot program launching July 1 expands access to GLP-1 medications like Wegovy and Zepbound for eligible seniors.
Through a new trial called Medicare GLP-1 Bridge, the federal government is now offering a selection of the brand-name medications to certain Medicare and Medicare Advantage beneficiaries for $50 a month, The Associated Press reported.
The covered medications include drugmaker Eli Lilly’s Foundayo tablets and Zepbound KwikPens and Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy injections and tablets, all of which have been FDA-approved for weight loss, according to the report.
OZEMPIC USERS MAY BE MAKING A MAJOR WEIGHT-LOSS MISTAKE, NEW STUDY SUGGESTS
The temporary program is set to run until the end of 2027.
This is the first time GLP-1s (glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists) will be covered by insurance when used solely for weight loss.
A new federal pilot program launching July 1 expands access to GLP-1 medications like Wegovy and Zepbound for eligible seniors. (iStock)
Prior to this new Medicare pilot, seniors who wanted to access GLP-1s for obesity alone paid about $1,350-$1,650 per month for Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy (semaglutide) and about $1,086 monthly for Lilly’s Zepbound (tirzepatide). However, both manufacturers offered some cash-pay options that significantly reduced those prices for eligible patients.
GLP-1 WEIGHT LOSS DRUGS ARE RESHAPING THE BRIDAL INDUSTRY AS SHOPS RUSH ORDERS AND REQUIRE NEW WAIVERS
There are some parameters surrounding the coverage — older adults must have had a body mass index (BMI) of 35 or higher when they started GLP-1 therapy, or a BMI of 27 or higher alongside another health condition, such as a past heart attack or stroke or prediabetes.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
Those who already have insurance coverage for other diseases, such as diabetes and sleep apnea, are not eligible for the program.
Through a new trial called Medicare GLP-1 Bridge, the federal government is now offering a selection of the brand-name medications to certain Medicare and Medicare Advantage beneficiaries for $50 a month. (iStock)
There are more than 70 million Americans currently enrolled in Medicare, 10 million of whom are overweight or obese, according to Juliette Cubanski, vice president and director of the program on Medicare policy at the healthcare research nonprofit KFF.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
“For many older Americans living with obesity, this is a moment they and their families have been waiting for,” Jamey Millar, Novo Nordisk’s executive vice president of U.S. operations, said in a press release.
“The Medicare GLP-1 Bridge program offers a new, affordable path to an FDA-approved treatment that was previously not covered.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, said he hopes the program can help his agency collect data to potentially work toward longer-term coverage, while providing immediate relief to cash-strapped older Americans, AP reported.
“The sheer cost of these medications is a huge barrier to access,” he said in a call with reporters. “That ends today.”
Prior to this new Medicare pilot, seniors who wanted to access GLP-1s for obesity alone paid about $1,350-$1,650 per month for Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy (semaglutide) and about $1,086 monthly for Lilly’s Zepbound (tirzepatide). (iStock)
Oz told reporters that CMS plans to “carefully track participation and outcomes” to see whether an extension of the Bridge program or another solution is the best way to move forward. He told AP a federal law permanently allowing the coverage is “not essential right now” but something “for Congress to debate amongst themselves.”
“We can’t decide what’s going to happen long term with Bridge until we see some of the data,” he said, adding that there are ongoing talks with drug companies to lower costs.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
One potential concern is that older patients tend to have more adverse effects to medication in general , according to Dr. Micah Eimer, a clinical assistant professor of cardiology at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
“Specifically, in our research, older patients on blood pressure medications were more likely to experience hypotensive side effects, such as fainting and dizziness, after starting a GLP-1,” he said in a statement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Use left and right arrow keys to navigate between menu items.
Use escape to exit the menu.
Sign Up
Create a free account to access exclusive content, play games, solve puzzles, test your pop-culture knowledge and receive special offers.
Already have an account? Login
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Federal health officials are attempting to track down the source of a microscopic parasite that triggers prolonged gastrointestinal illness, as domestic cases begin to climb for the summer season.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had confirmed 145 cases of cyclosporiasis across 17 states as of mid-June 2026, all linked to infections acquired in the U.S.
The culprit is Cyclospora, a microscopic parasite known to cause cyclosporiasis.
DEADLY ‘FOX TAPEWORM’ LINKED TO LETHAL DISEASE DETECTED IN WEST COAST WILDLIFE
The hallmark symptom of the infection is watery, often “explosive” diarrhea that can last for weeks or even months if left untreated, the CDC says.
There is currently no evidence of a single, multistate Cyclospora outbreak linking all cases. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy, File)
Other symptoms include severe abdominal cramping, bloating, nausea, fatigue and significant weight loss.
The official outbreak season for the parasite runs from May 1 through Aug. 31, a window where warmer temperatures historically coincide with a spike in infections, according to the CDC.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Cases have cropped up in states ranging from Texas to Alaska. New York has been hit the hardest so far, reporting between 31 and 80 cases, followed by Texas and Illinois, which have each reported between 11 and 30 cases.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
While the infection can sometimes clear up on its own, it frequently requires antibiotics. Out of the 145 confirmed cases, 20 patients have required hospitalization, per the CDC.
While the infection can sometimes clear up on its own, it frequently requires antibiotics. (iStock)
No deaths have yet been reported. Patients range from 5 to 86 years old, though the median age is 42, and women make up 61% of the reported cases, data shows.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
The CDC, alongside the Food and Drug Administration and state health officials, is actively investigating several multi-state clusters, but they have yet to find a cause behind the spread.
Officials urge patients with symptoms to seek help from a medical professional. (iStock)
“There is currently no evidence of a single, multistate Cyclospora outbreak linking all cases,” the CDC noted in its surveillance report.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
The CDC advises anyone experiencing symptoms of cyclosporiasis to contact a healthcare provider for testing and treatment.
-
Iowa4 minutes ago11 beaches on Iowa DNR’s swimming not recommended list for July 4
-
Kentucky14 minutes agoKentucky Wildcats News: Tyler Herro helped UK get Milan Momcilovic
-
Louisiana19 minutes agoSupreme Court rules in indictment against Louisiana attorney general
-
Maine26 minutes agoMagalloway Conservation Project in western Maine nearing completion
-
Maryland29 minutes agoBaltimore Gas and Electric seeks $8 monthly rate increase for Maryland customers
-
Michigan34 minutes agoMichigan lawmakers work through the night on ‘compromise’ budget
-
Massachusetts41 minutes agoMassachusetts city imposes curfew ahead of historic World Cup match
-
Minnesota44 minutes ago
Where to watch Minnesota Lynx vs New York Liberty on July 3: TV channel, start time and streaming
