5 Longevity Rules For The Perfect Nighttime Routine

Longevity expert after longevity expert has said that the steps to a longer life are somewhat familiar, even boring; a good diet, enough sleep, and adequate physical activity are key.

But exciting research is happening within those. Which is why some scientists have advised on everything from when you eat your dinner to the best bedtime for better ageing.

Here, we’ll share some studies which might make your nighttime routine as conducive as possible for the best, and even most longevity-boosting, results:

Speaking to GQ, Valter Longo, director of the Longevity Institute at the University of Southern California, said that the longest-living people he’s tracked stopped eating 12 hours before breakfast the following day.

That may be, he said, because digesting food may interrupt your sleep and could mean food is stored in a different way.

So, if you’re an eight-hour sleeper, that could mean you stop eating four hours before you sleep and have breakfast right away.

Or you could stop eating three hours before sleep and wait an hour after waking to have brekkie.

Gum disease has been linked to a range of health issues, from heart conditions to tooth loss, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and even depression.

We don’t know exactly whether worse gum health comes from people having preexisting health conditions, which can make looking after your teeth harder, or if they actually cause the problems to begin with.

But speaking to HuffPost UK, Dr Jenna Chimon, a cosmetic dentist at Long Island Veneers, explained that gums are “living tissue connected directly to your bloodstream… bacteria and the toxins they release create a constant state of inflammation”.

Low-grade chronic inflammation has been linked to faster ageing and worse health outcomes.

So while again, we still don’t know exactly in which direction the gum health/all-body health connection flows, experts reccomend flossing anyway ― worst case scenario, you’ll have happier gums.

A 2024 paper listed sleep regularity as a “stronger predictor of mortality” than even sleep duration.

That means that when you go to bed might be more important than how long you sleep when it comes to your risk of death, though having either way too much or way too little sleep is also linked to an increased risk of premature death in the same paper.

Speaking to HuffPost UK previously, registered dietician and longevity specialist Melanie Murphy Richter, who studied under longevity researcher Dr Valter Longo at the University of Southern California, said, “Sleep is one of the most powerful longevity tools we have, and timing matters.

“Going to bed between 10pm and midnight and waking with the sun supports circadian rhythms, hormone balance, and cellular repair – all critical for healthy ageing,” she added.

It is true that some of us have a later chronotype, or a natural “night owl” body clock.

But a 2024 study by Stanford researchers suggested that no matter your natural preference, sleeping after 1am was linked to worse ageing outcomes.

“To age healthily, individuals should start sleeping before 1am, despite chronobiological preferences,” they wrote.