Poor Sleep Patterns Are Linked To 172 Diseases, Study Finds
Most of us know sleep is essential, but how much does it really matter if you stay up late a few nights a week or let your bedtime drift depending on your schedule? According to a large new study, the answer is: more than you might think.
Researchers followed over 88,000 adults and found that disrupted sleep patterns, like irregular bedtimes, poor circadian rhythm alignment, and restless nights, were linked to 172 different diseases, including dementia, type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s, and even acute kidney failure.
The most surprising part? Sleep regularity mattered more than sleep duration. In other words, going to bed and waking up at consistent times had a stronger link to health than just logging more hours under the covers.
So while we’ve long been told to “get eight hours,” this research suggests that when you sleep is just as important as how long.
Inside the study: How sleep was tracked
The research team used accelerometers (wearable devices that track movement) to objectively measure sleep. They analyzed several sleep traits:
- Sleep duration and timing (how long and when people slept)
- Sleep rhythm (how consistent bedtime and wake-up times were)
- Sleep fragmentation (how often sleep was interrupted)
Then, over nearly seven years of follow-up, they compared these sleep traits to the development of diseases across the body, from neurological to metabolic to immune-related conditions.
The sleep connection
Here’s what the researchers found:
- 172 diseases were linked to poor sleep patterns.
- For 92 of them, over 20% of risk was attributed to sleep. That includes dementia, type 2 diabetes, and acute kidney failure.
- 42 diseases doubled in risk with poor sleep. These included age-related frailty, certain liver diseases, and even gangrene.
Sleep regularity had a bigger impact than just sleep duration. People with erratic bedtimes and wake times had significantly higher risks, even if they were sleeping “enough” hours overall.
What this means for you
Consistency is king when it comes to sleep. You don’t need to overhaul your entire lifestyle to see benefits, but aligning your sleep schedule with your body’s natural circadian rhythm can go a long way in lowering long-term health risks.
Here are a few practical, research-backed ways to support better sleep patterns:
Anchor your bedtime and wake-up time
Pick a window that works for you and stick to it. This strengthens your circadian rhythm, which regulates everything from metabolism to brain health.
Prioritize light exposure in the morning
Sunlight (or bright light) early in the day helps set your body clock, making it easier to fall asleep at night.
Limit late-night stimulation
Screens, artificial light, and heavy meals late in the evening can all throw off your sleep rhythm. Try winding down with dim lighting and calming activities instead.
Think rhythm, not just hours
Yes, quantity matters, but if your bedtime is all over the place, simply adding an extra hour won’t fix the deeper issue. Your body craves predictability.
Try a magnesium supplement
The easiest and most convenient way to reap the sleep benefits of magnesium is to opt for a supplement such as mindbodygreen's sleep support+.
Taking two capsules one to two hours before bed provides 120 mg of magnesium bisglycinate, along with relaxing jujube seed extract and PharmaGABA® to promote deep and restorative sleep.*
The magnesium glycinate in our formula is the most absorbable form of this mineral (meaning, no mid-night trips to the bathroom), and the amino acid glycine comes with impressive sleep benefits of its own12.*
In fact, 300+ happy reviews from customers using sleep support+ to noticeably improve their sleep night after night.*
The takeaway
Sleep is more than a nightly recharge; it’s a full-body health regulator. Irregular sleep patterns don’t just leave you groggy; over time, they can ripple across nearly every system in your body, from your brain to your liver to your kidneys.
Unlike many risk factors for chronic disease, sleep is something you can influence. By keeping your bedtime and wake-up times steady, you’re giving your body one of the most powerful tools for long-term health and resilience.
