Lack of Sleep Could Accelerate Aging says New Study 

A new study finds that the Lack of Sleep in the six months after having a baby can add up to seven years to the biological age of new mothers. Researchers said the findings mean that those who complain of sleepless nights taking years off their life may well be right.

Lack of Sleep can also leave them more susceptible to cancer and cardiovascular disease. They studied 33 mothers during their pregnancies and new mothers whose babies were lesser than a year. The study analyzed their DNA to determine their biological age, which can differ from chronological age.

A year after giving birth, the biological age of those who slept less than seven hours a night for the period of six months was three to seven years older than those who logged seven hours or more. In addition, mothers who slept less than seven hours had shorter telomeres, or pieces of DNA, in their white blood cells.The study in the journal sleep health also said that Loss of sleep had been linked to serious health problems. Lead author Professor Judith Carroll of the University of California in Los Angeles said that Sleep health is just as vital to overall health as diet and exercise.

The lead author of the study said that in the early months of postpartum, sleep deprivation could have a lasting effect on physical health. They know from a large body of research that sleeping less than seven hours a night is detrimental to health and increases the risk of age-related diseases. The researchers also found that while participants’ nightly sleep ranged from five to nine hours, more than half were getting less than seven hours both six months and one year after giving birth.