0850 Feeling Older Than You Are: Links Between Subjective Age and Sleep Outcomes

Abstract Introduction Subjective age (i.e., age an individual feels), chronological age (i.e., years since birth), and age discrepancy (i.e., mismatch between subjective and chronological age) can play a role in overall health and survival. The present study sought to explore the association between age discrepancy and insomnia severity, sleep health, and sleep-related impairment across the adult lifespan. Methods Adults (N=3,177; Mage = 42.8; 49% female) completed an online survey, including demographic data (sex, race); subjective age (i.e., “How old do you feel?”); chronological age; sleep variables including the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), RUSATED, Sleep Regularity Questionnaire (SRQ), and PROMIS Sleep-Related Impairment (PROMIS-SRI); depression (PHQ-2); anxiety (GAD-2); and self-assessed physical health (PHQ-15). Age discrepancy was calculated as subjective minus chronological age, divided by chronological age. Positive values indicated feeling older while negative values indicated feeling younger than chronological age. Correlational and regression analyses examined how age discrepancy was associated with sleep variables. A parallel mediation analysis explored whether age discrepancy was associated with self-assessed physical health indirectly through sleep variables. Results People who feel older than their chronological age also report more insomnia symptoms, more sleep-related impairments, lower sleep health, and lower sleep regularity (all p’s .05). Age discrepancy was a significant predictor of all sleep variables even when accounting for chronological age, sex, race, depression, and anxiety. Age discrepancy had significant indirect effects on PHQ-15 scores through ISI, SRQ, and PROMIS-SRI scores (all CI’s did not include 0). Specifically, higher age discrepancy was associated with increased insomnia symptoms, increased sleep-related impairment, and lower sleep regularity, which all were in turn associated with poorer subjective physical health. Conclusion Results suggest that the age you feel, not just the age you are, shapes sleep and health. Feeling older than your years predicts more insomnia, poorer sleep regularity, and greater sleep-related impairment, with downstream effects on physical health. These results reinforce the need to challenge negative perceptions of aging, not only in clinical care but also through education and public health messaging. Put simply, how old you feel is an important predictor of sleep and health across the lifespan. Support (if any) NIA K23AG049955 (PI: Dzierzewski)