MRI data has a message for night owls (you won’t love it)

A recent brain-imaging study has found that people with poor sleep habits, including night-owl patterns, tend to have brains that appear older than their actual age. The study, which analyzed brain scans from over 27,000 adults, used machine-learning models to estimate each participant's "brain age" and compared it to their real age. Factors such as chronotype, sleep duration, insomnia, snoring, and daytime sleepiness were considered, with night-owl tendencies often associated with shorter sleep duration on workdays and an older-looking brain.

The study suggests that poor sleep may contribute to accelerated brain aging, with every one-point drop on a five-factor sleep score corresponding to roughly six months of extra "brain age." While the research does not prove causation, it highlights the importance of maintaining healthy sleep habits, such as protecting the total sleep window, treating snoring and insomnia, and avoiding behaviors that may adversely impact sleep quality in the evening. Night owls can take control by making small adjustments to their sleep routines to prevent their brains from aging faster than their chronological age.