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Our daily routines and body rhythms tend to shift with age. Although chronological age is fixed by time, biological age reflects how well the body is functioning. A new study suggests that aging may affect circadian rest-activity rhythms, the body’s natural daily cycle that helps regulate wakefulness, activity, rest, and sleep.
Researchers reviewed seven days of physical activity data from wrist-worn devices of 207 older adults, focusing on sleep, movement, and light exposure. They evaluated how stable participants’ daily routines were, when activity and rest levels were highest, and how clearly separated active and restful periods appeared.
The data was evaluated using scores from four epigenetic clocks, which can estimate how quickly the body is aging biologically. When epigenetic age is greater than chronological age, it may point to accelerated aging and a higher risk for diseases linked to aging.
Although the clocks differed slightly in their measurements, researchers observed significant associations between regular daily rhythms and healthier biological aging. Participants with disrupted schedules and inconsistent patterns of rest and activity appeared to age faster biologically.
Rest-activity rhythms are closely tied to the body’s internal circadian clock. As people age, these patterns often lose strength and regularity, and earlier research has connected circadian disruption to cognitive decline, psychiatric conditions, and certain cancers. These rhythms may become a promising marker of aging, potentially providing a better measure of health than chronological age alone. If future findings support these results, improving these rhythms could become a potential strategy for promoting healthier aging and slowing biological decline.
To view the original scientific study click below:
Twenty-Four–Hour Rest-Activity Rhythms and Epigenetic Age Acceleration in Middle-Aged and Older Adults
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