A new study from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health suggests that maintaining steady and predictable daily rhythms-regular patterns of rest and activity-may help slow biological aging.
Researchers analyzed a week of activity data from 207 older adults, measuring movement, sleep, and light exposure. They compared these patterns against four 'epigenetic clock' scores, which use blood biomarkers to assess biological age based on DNA chemical markers.
Results showed that individuals with consistent routines had slower biological aging, while those with fragmented schedules showed faster aging. The link was stronger in females and White participants. Study authors caution these findings are correlational, not causal, and note the healthy participant sample may underestimate effects in the general population.
The research, published in JAMA Network Open, aligns with earlier studies linking disrupted daily rhythms to inflammation and brain shrinkage, reinforcing the importance of circadian alignment for health.