Next-Day Sleep Compensation Cuts Mortality Risk
Tsinghua-Harvard study finds compensating sleep loss next day eliminates mortality risk increase
A study has found that if you sleep less, compensating for the lost sleep the very next day can help reduce the risk of mortality. The findings were published this month in the international academic journal *Nature Communications* by a joint research team from Tsinghua University in China and Harvard University in the United States.
The research team analyzed sleep data from approximately 85,600 individuals registered in the UK Biobank. They calculated each participant’s “personal sleep requirement” and classified instances where they slept 2.5 hours or more less than required as “sleep-deprived” status.
The analysis revealed that individuals who slept over 3.5 hours less than usual and did not compensate the next day had up to a 42% higher mortality risk compared to those who maintained regular sleep patterns. When sleep was deficient by 2.5 to 3.5 hours, the mortality risk was up to 15% higher. In contrast, those who slept more the following day showed no significant difference in mortality risk compared to regular sleepers.
Source: 조선일보 (https://www.chosun.com/economy/science/2026/05/26/SN7QQWSGXFE6HGALG3ZCRAGQII/)