Researchers at Pennsylvania State University in the United States discovered that adding one extra hour of sleep can help lower blood pressure and stabilize blood sugar levels, with findings published in Sleep Health.
The study examined how extending nightly sleep by one hour for a week would affect the health of young adults. Twelve participants, aged 18 to 23, with an average body mass index of 24.5, took part. None reported physical or mental health problems during the trial.
During the first week, participants followed their usual sleep schedules. Scientists tracked sleep duration and quality with actigraphy watches and monitored movement through hip accelerometers, which capture changes in posture and activity levels.
Participants provided urine and blood samples for baseline analysis. Researchers also tracked blood pressure, heart rate, and metabolic responses to a standardized meal.
In the second week, volunteers increased their nightly sleep by one hour. On average, they extended their sleep by about 43 minutes. This shift correlated with higher self-reported well-being and reduced systolic blood pressure. The findings also showed faster recovery of blood glucose after meals, signaling improved glucose regulation relevant to diabetes prevention and management.
These results echo broader questions about how sleep duration influences brain function, hormone balance, and cardiovascular health. They suggest that even modest gains in nightly rest could yield meaningful improvements for young adults whose lives often push sleep into a secondary concern. Understanding the links between sleep duration, metabolic health, and mood is central to developing practical recommendations for healthier daily routines. (Source: Sleep Health)
What this line of inquiry adds is a clearer picture of how sleep shapes emotional processing and daytime functioning, a topic neuroscientists continue to explore as more data accumulate about sleep’s role in regulating brain activity and behavior.