Having several unhealthy sleep traits was linked with higher risk of dying
Researchers followed 4,340 adults from a large US sleep study and looked at six parts of sleep health together. Risk of death was linked with the build-up of poor sleep traits, and sleep timing stood out for heart-related deaths.
At a glance
- Sleep health has several parts, such as timing and how well sleep holds together through the night. This study looked at six parts together.
- Healthier sleep continuity and timing were linked with a lower risk of dying from any cause.
- People with several unhealthy sleep traits had the highest predicted 10-year risk of death.
- Study type
- Prospective cohort study using data from the Sleep Heart Health Study
- Who took part
- 4,340 adults for deaths from any cause and 3,790 adults for heart-related deaths
- Published
- Sleep health, 2026
- Strength of evidence
- Moderate evidence This is a fairly large cohort that followed people over time. It is observational, so it can show links but not cause.
What the researchers did
The study used data from the Sleep Heart Health Study. It included 4,340 adults for deaths from any cause and 3,790 for deaths from heart and blood vessel disease.
The researchers sorted six parts of sleep into healthy or unhealthy. Combining them gave 64 possible sleep profiles. They then compared death rates across the profiles.
They also checked whether certain combinations of poor sleep traits carried extra risk, or whether the risks simply added up.
What they found
Sleep profiles explained a meaningful share of the differences in risk of death. This was larger for heart-related deaths than for deaths from any cause.
After the team accounted for each sleep trait and other factors, the risks mostly added up. Each unhealthy trait seemed to add its own risk. No special combination made things much worse.
Healthier sleep continuity and timing were linked with a lower risk of death from any cause. Timing was the most consistent sleep trait for heart-related deaths. Having no sleep disorder was linked with a weaker difference, mainly for deaths from any cause.
The profiles with several unhealthy traits had the highest predicted 10-year risk of death.
The caveats
- This is an observational study. Sleep was linked with death risk, but other differences between people may explain some of the link.
- The six sleep traits were each split into just healthy or unhealthy. This hides how much people vary within each group.
- The abstract does not give the age of the participants or how long they were followed, so it is hard to say who the results apply to.
- The sleep data come from one US study, so the results may not apply to other groups or places.
What this could mean for you
This study suggests that several small sleep problems may matter together. Looking at the whole picture of your sleep may be more useful than looking at one thing alone.
Keeping sleep steady and well-timed may be one part of sleeping healthily. But this study cannot show that changing your sleep would change your risk of dying.
If you are worried about your sleep, or think you may have a sleep disorder, talk to your doctor.
The study
Zhang Q, Zhou B, Wang Y et al. Multidimensional sleep health and risks of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality: A MAIHDA-based prospective cohort study.. Sleep health, 2026.