New Study: This Surprising Mental Trait Could Be the Key to Beating Insomnia

From inc.com

Constantly tired? A simple factor may be contributing to your inability to find high-quality sleep. Here’s what to know 

Could feeling wiser than your years be worsening your days? Possibly. 

A new study published in Sleep found a link between subjective age (the age you feel) and how well you sleep. People with a higher subjective age reported more symptoms of insomnia and feeling more tired throughout the day. The results will be presented at the Sleep 2026 annual meeting in mid-June. 

The study was conducted by the VA Boston Healthcare System, Virginia Commonwealth University, and the National Sleep Foundation. 

The scientists ultimately found that age discrepancy can act as a predictor in overall health and longevity. In the study, age discrepancy is defined as the mismatch between a person’s subjective age, how old a person feels, and their actual, chronological age. Positive values indicated feeling older while negative values indicated feeling younger. The researchers noted that adults who felt older had more symptoms of insomnia, more sleep-related impairments, and lower overall sleep health and regularity.

“These findings suggest how people perceive their own aging may have important implications for sleep and overall well-being,” said Joseph M. Dzierzewski, the principal investigator of the study. “Understanding subjective age could help inform future approaches to support healthier sleep and quality of life across the lifespan.”

To come to this conclusion, the researchers collected survey responses from 3,177 adults with a mean age of 42.8. Participants were asked questions to assess their subjective age, insomnia, overall sleep health, and sleep-related impairment. The subjects were evaluated on their mental health and asked to self-report any physical health symptoms that may affect their sleep.

The scientists used correlational and regression analyses to look at the associations between age discrepancy and sleep. A parallel mediation, a test to see if any predictors affected the outcome through two or more variables simultaneously, was then used to explore the indirect effects sleep had on physical health. 

The scientists found that those who reported feeling older than their actual age had statistically significant poorer sleep and sleep-related impairments. Additionally, they found that those who had higher age discrepancies also had higher rates of insomnia and worse subjective physical health. 

                                                                                                                                                                     Photo: Getty Images

Key takeaways from the research

Dzierzewski told Inc. that this doesn’t have to start in a doctor’s office; it can begin with a simple internal check. “The question is almost like, how are you feeling? Do you feel older? Do you feel younger? Do you feel right on?”

The good news, he said, is that nothing about this picture is fixed. “Your subjective age is certainly changeable, your sleep is changeable. Staying physically active, eating a good healthy diet, and challenging some of those negative beliefs we have about aging.”

He added that consistently feeling older than your age is “not a warning sign, but something you should pay attention to. It’s a sign that your sleep or your health maybe needs more support than you’re giving it.”

And while the study focused on sleep, Dzierzewski thinks the implications can stretch to other areas of your life. Embracing aging more realistically, not chasing youth, and aligning expectations with where you actually are could, he said, bring everything a little more into balance: “All of these things are changeable.”

https://www.inc.com/lucia-auerbach/new-study-this-surprising-mental-trait-could-be-the-key-to-beating-insomnia/91354563

Feeling older than your age is linked to poorer sleep and worse daytime functioning

From medicalxpress.com

By American Academy of Sleep Medicine

A new study to be presented at the SLEEP 2026 annual meeting found that adults who feel older than their chronological age reported worse sleep outcomes, including more insomnia symptoms, greater sleep-related impairment, and lower sleep regularity, with those sleep outcomes in turn associated with poorer self-reported physical health.

Results show that the mismatch between how old a person feels and their actual age, known as age discrepancy, was a significant predictor of all sleep outcomes examined, even after accounting for chronological age, sex, race, depression, and anxiety. Adults who felt older than their years reported more insomnia symptoms, more sleep-related impairments, lower overall sleep health, and lower sleep regularity. Mediation analyses further found that higher age discrepancy was associated with poorer self-reported physical health indirectly through its associations with insomnia severity, sleep regularity, and sleep-related impairment.

"Adults who felt older than their actual age consistently reported poorer sleep outcomes, including more insomnia symptoms, less regular sleep, and greater daytime impairment," said principal investigator Joseph M. Dzierzewski, who has a doctorate in clinical psychology and is senior vice president of research and scientific affairs at the National Sleep Foundation. "These associations remained significant even after accounting for chronological age, depression and anxiety."

                                                                                            Credit: Arina Krasnikova from Pexels

According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, sleep is essential to health, and it requires adequate duration, good quality, appropriate timing and regularity, and the absence of sleep disturbances or disorders. Insomnia disorder is characterized by difficulty falling or staying asleep and is associated with impaired daytime functioning and overall health.

The study involved 3,177 adults (mean age 42.8 years; 49% female) who completed an online survey that assessed subjective age, chronological age, insomnia severity, sleep health, sleep regularity, and sleep-related impairment. Participants also completed measures of depression, anxiety, and self-reported physical health. Age discrepancy was calculated as the difference between subjective and chronological age, divided by chronological age, with positive values indicating feeling older and negative values indicating feeling younger. Correlational and regression analyses examined associations between age discrepancy and sleep outcomes, and a parallel mediation analysis explored indirect effects on physical health through sleep variables.

Dzierzewski noted that the findings have implications not only for clinical care but also for public health messaging around aging and sleep.

"These findings suggest how people perceive their own aging may have important implications for sleep and overall well-being," Dzierzewski said. "Understanding subjective age could help inform future approaches to support healthier sleep and quality of life across the lifespan."

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-older-age-linked-poorer-worse.html

Exhausted after 8 hours? 3 red flags you're headed for insomnia, according to experts

From tomsguide.com

By Ruth Jones 

The subtle daytime signs that could signal serious sleep deprivation

Struggling to stay awake at your desk, snapping at a friend and drifting off at the dinner table? It might not be your finest hour but many of us are familiar with these behaviours. You'd probably chalk it up to a bad day.

However, researchers from the University of Maryland have identified thinking, fatigue and mood as red flags for insomnia, noting that monitoring these actions in your day-to-day can help you spot sleep problems you might otherwise overlook.

"When [these behaviours] appear together, they suggest sleep is not restorative, even if you believe you're 'getting enough hours,'" explains Dr. Saema Tahir, an adult and paediatric sleep specialist.

We spoke to her about how to identify insomnia red flags — and what they signal about your sleep.

Key takeaways: At a glance

• Thinking, fatigue and mood were identified as 'residual' symptoms of insomnia to be monitored in the treatment of sleep disorders
• Daytime fatigue describes persistent low energy, often caused by a lack of restorative sleep
• Mood swings make you irritable and can result from missing out on REM sleep
• Micro-sleeps are brief dozes that signal your brain is actively struggling to stay awake
• Focusing on improved sleep hygiene, such as a wind-down routine and bed time, can help improve your overall sleep health

How understanding daytime behaviours help you recognize insomnia

(Image credit: Getty Images)

In a recent study by the University of Maryland School of Medicine, researchers highlighted that treating insomnia can't simply focus on sleep. It's important to understand and address the daytime impact of a bad night's rest as well.

Researchers identified 'thinking, fatigue, and mood' as 'residual symptoms' of sleep deprivation which should be monitored by healthcare professionals to ensure more effective treatment for insomnia.

"These symptoms are often more informative than total sleep hours," says Dr. Saema Tahir, a pulmonary disease specialist. She explains that if you're clocking up enough hours in bed but still don't feel properly rested, your daytime behaviours can help you understand what's going on.

"Fatigue [equals] sleep quantity or quality issue," she says. "Mood swings [equals] neurocognitive / emotional sleep disruption. Micro-sleeps [equals] severe physiological sleep deprivation or disorder."

3 daytime red flags for bad sleep

Even the best sleep trackers can't always paint an accurate picture of what's happening during the night. However, monitoring how you're functioning during the day helps you investigate and recognize the lived impact of your sleep.

Here are three signs your sleep is suffering (and you might not even know it yet)...

Red flag 1: You have no energy

You know those days when everything feels like a slog? You crawl out of bed and can't even find the energy to scroll through Instagram.

"Daytime fatigue is more than just feeling 'tired,'" explains Dr. Tahir. "Clinically, it refers to persistent low energy, reduced alertness, and difficulty sustaining mental or physical effort during the day despite adequate opportunity for sleep."

(Image credit: Getty Images)

So what's causing it? Dr. Tahir notes that daytime fatigue is often a signal that you're missing out on "restorative sleep" — that might mean frequent wake-ups, sleep disorders or "circadian misalignment" (when your time in bed doesn't match when your body expects to sleep.)

"A key clue is disproportion," says Dr. Tahir. "If someone is sleeping an 'adequate' number of hours but still feels drained, we worry about sleep quality rather than quantity."

Red flag 2: Your emotions are a rollercoaster

It's not just you; everyone around you really is more annoying after a bad night's sleep.

"Mood instability, meaning irritability, emotional reactivity, or low frustration tolerance, can be a subtle but powerful marker of sleep disruption," explains Dr. Tahir.

Patients often say, 'I sleep fine,' but report they are snappy, overwhelmed and emotionally labile

Dr. Tahir

And it doesn't have to be a night spent staring at the ceiling that has you snapping at a co-worker for tapping on the keyboard a little too loud.

"Evidence shows even partial sleep restriction impacts emotional regulation circuits in the prefrontal cortex and amygdala reactivity (our emotional response centre of the brain)," says Dr. Tahir.

She notes that patients often say "I sleep fine" but describe being snappy, overwhelmed and "emotionally labile" — "that mismatch is a red flag for impaired sleep architecture or insufficient deep/REM sleep."

Red flag 3: You can't keep your eyes open

You're halfway through an email when it occurs to you you don't know how long you've spent on one sentence. In fact, you can't remember the last few seconds at all. What you've experienced might be a microsleep.

"Microsleeps are brief, involuntary episodes of sleep lasting seconds," describes Dr. Tahir. "They often present as: 'zoning out' while driving or reading, dropping attention mid-task or head nodding or blank spells."

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Sometime a microsleep is so fast, you might not even notice its happened. But it shouldn't be ignored, as Dr. Tahir explains it's a sign your brain is "actively failing to maintain wakefulness."

"Clinically, microsleeps are a significant safety warning, most commonly associated with sleep deprivation or untreated sleep disorders (OSA, behaviour disorders of sleep, insomnia, hypersomnia, movement disorders of sleep)," she says.

What to do if you notice these red flags

These 'red flags' are often an indication that your sleep is suffering, even if you're happy with the amount of hours you spend in bed.

You don’t measure sleep health by time in bed, you measure it by daytime function

Dr. Tahir

"A key principle in sleep medicine is that you don’t measure sleep health by time in bed, you measure it by daytime function," explains Dr. Tahir.

"So someone can sleep 7–8 hours and still have clinically significant sleep dysfunction."

When these red flags start to impact your daily function, it's time to take a look at your sleep hygiene. Building good habits can improve your overall sleep quality, ensuring you're enjoying truly restorative rest. We've spoken to experts about improving sleep quality, and their top tips include:

• Set a bedtime and stick to it
• Develop a calming (and accessible) wind-down routine
• Start your morning with sunlight
• Dim the lights in the evening
• Keep your bed for sleep only — no binge watching

However, when lack of sleep is having a notable impact on your day, we advise speaking to a healthcare professional, who can help you identify the cause and work on viable solutions.

https://www.tomsguide.com/wellness/sleep/3-red-flags-that-youre-headed-for-insomnia-from-mood-swings-to-micro-sleeps