With the warmer months on the way, getting a proper night’s sleep can become even more of a challenge.
Figures from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services suggest that between 30% and 52% of adults in the US aren’t regularly getting enough rest.
More recently, in 2022, around 30% to 46% of US adults said they were sleeping for fewer than seven hours a night. Most guidance recommends adults aim for roughly seven to nine hours each night to support overall health.
But there may be a simple approach worth trying. One expert-backed strategy, known as the 7:1 sleep rule, claims to help you sleep better—and could even be linked with living longer.
The idea is straightforward: aim to get seven hours of sleep, and try to fall asleep within the same one-hour window on at least five nights each week.
That means the occasional late night doesn’t necessarily derail the plan, as long as the wider pattern stays consistent.
And it’s not just about feeling more refreshed in the morning. Research from Vitality and The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) linked steady, positive sleep habits with a potential increase in life expectancy of up to four years.
The findings also suggested that sleeping seven hours at approximately the same time each night may reduce the risk of early death by close to 25%.
Dr Matthew Walker Professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California wrote: “There is no organ system in the body, or any operation in our mind, that isn’t enhanced by good sleep and impaired by poor sleep. Sleep influences everything from cardiovascular and metabolic function to mental well-being.”
In the same study, researchers said Vitality’s dataset indicates that “bedtime consistency is an even stronger predictor of sleep-related risk.”
“Falling asleep consistently within a one-hour bedtime window lowers mortality risk and in-hospital admissions by an estimated 31% and 9% respectively.”
The thinking is that keeping a reliable schedule helps regulate circadian rhythms, which in turn supports recovery and overall wellbeing.
It also ties into the idea of ‘Sleep hygiene’, a term that’s become increasingly common as clinicians and specialists encourage people to build healthier routines around rest.
TV health expert Dr Amir Khan has shared similar guidance with his audience, stressing the importance of keeping sleep and wake times steady.
“Try to go to sleep and to wake up about the same time each day, even on weekends,” he said. “This reinforces your body’s internal sleep clock, and aim for seven to eight hours of sleep each night.”