The research was conducted by researchers at the Federal University of São Carlos and University College London and involved data from 1,582 men and 1,626 women aged 60 or older (image: Vecstock/Magnific, modified by AI)

Published on 08/24/2026

By Maria Fernanda Ziegler  |  Agência FAPESP – Asking older men how many hours they sleep each night could be an easy and inexpensive way to predict and prevent loss of mobility. One study followed more than 3,000 people over the age of 60 and found that prolonged sleep – defined as more than nine hours per night – resulted in slower walking speeds over an eight-year period, but only among men. Slowed walking speed in older adults is an important indicator of mobility and is associated with loss of independence, increased risk of falls, hospitalization, institutionalization, and death.

The research was conducted by scientists from the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar) in Brazil and University College London (UCL) in the United Kingdom. The analysis involved data from 1,582 men and 1,626 women, all aged 60 or older, who were part of the English Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSA). Only individuals with no preexisting problems related to walking speed were included in the study and were observed for eight years.

According to the results published in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, men over 60 who slept more than nine hours per night experienced a greater reduction in walking speed during the study period, losing up to a quarter of their initial speed. However, symptoms of insomnia and short nights of sleep had no impact on male mobility. Furthermore, no association between sleep patterns and mobility was observed among women.

Based on the study data, which was collected with support from FAPESP, the researchers argue that prolonged sleep (more than nine hours per night) should be considered a risk factor for decreased mobility in men over 60.

“Although they sleep for more hours, these individuals tend to have more fragmented sleep with fewer deep sleep stages. This type of sleep – long in duration but low in quality, with many interruptions – impairs the release of testosterone, an essential hormone for maintaining muscle mass, especially in men, thereby accelerating the loss of walking speed,” explains Tiago da Silva Alexandre, a professor in the Department of Gerontology at UFSCar and author of the study.

Inflammaging

In addition to the hormonal issue, this type of prolonged, interrupted sleep is associated with the intensification of a chronic, low-grade inflammatory process characteristic of old age, known as “inflammaging.” This condition promotes the degradation of musculoskeletal tissue cells, inhibits protein synthesis, and reduces muscle strength and mass.

“It’s often said that having muscle means being healthy, and in old age, that’s no different. That’s because the immune and endocrine systems are regulated by the muscular system,” Alexandre explains.

In the study, women who slept more than nine hours per night did not experience any change in their walking speed. The researchers explain that this was due to the hormonal profile of women. “In women, other hormones, such as IGF-1 and GH, play a more significant role in muscle anabolism than testosterone does. Therefore, the impact wasn’t significant,” says Patrícia Silva Tofani, a professor at the Federal University of Sergipe (UFS) and co-author of the article.

As the authors point out, sleep patterns are expected to change with aging. The ideal for older adults is to sleep between six and nine hours per night, while the recommended average for younger adults is between seven and eight hours.

“For older adults, who physiologically tend to sleep less and take more daytime naps, sleeping more than nine hours a night is unusual and may suggest clinical vulnerability. Therefore, the study reinforces the need to consider prolonged sleep as a specific clinical risk marker for older men,” Alexandre notes.

The article “Sex differences in insomnia symptoms and sleep duration as risk factors for walking speed decline in older adults” can be found at jamda.com/article/S1525-8610(25)00556-0/abstract.

 

Source: https://agencia.fapesp.br/59044