But GPs say the secret to healthier ageing isn\u2019t about fancy tech or strict routines. It often comes down to simple daily habits we tend to overlook.<\/p>\n
We asked a GP which everyday habit midlife adults most often overlook \u2013 and why it matters more than you might realise.<\/p>\n
The most overlooked pillar of health<\/p>\n
According to Dr Reem Hasan, chief medical officer at Vista Health<\/a> and an NHS GP, if we want to make a big difference to our health, we should be prioritising getting enough good-quality sleep.<\/p>\n Research from Vista Health found the average midlife adult gets just 6.5 hours of sleep a night \u2013 well below the recommended seven to nine.<\/p>\n A solid 7-8 hours of sleep a night is key to staying healthy as we age, advise experts. (Getty Images)<\/p>\n “Sleep remains pretty undervalued, and it\u2019s really critical in terms of when we think about brain health, cognitive protection, when we\u2019re looking at the rising rates of dementia, Alzheimer\u2019s disease,” Dr Hasan tells Yahoo UK.<\/p>\n “There\u2019s a lot of focus on diet and movement [when it comes to health] and sleep sort of falls off of it. And it\u2019s not just about sleep quantity, it\u2019s the sleep hygiene [having both a bedroom environment and daily routines that promote consistent, uninterrupted sleep] that I think is often really overlooked, and this can transform long-term health outcomes.”<\/p>\n Sleep, she explains, is far more than rest. “Essentially, it acts as the brain\u2019s waste clearance mechanism \u2013 it\u2019s really restorative. And we know that when we\u2019re thinking about brain health, adults who get less than six hours a night have a 30% higher dementia risk<\/a> compared to those getting seven to eight hours.”<\/p>\n Read more: If you told me to try sleep hygiene, I would have laughed. But it actually worked for me <\/a>(Yahoo Life UK, 4-min read)<\/p>\n What poor sleep does to the body<\/p>\n It\u2019s not just the brain that pays the price. Consistently poor sleep has ripple effects across multiple systems in the body.<\/p>\n “Poor quality of sleep can increase your cardiovascular disease risk by 48% and your stroke risk by 15%<\/a>,” says Dr Hasan. “And that is massive.”<\/p>\n Metabolic health takes a hit, too. “When our sleep is disrupted\u2026 that can impair glucose metabolism<\/a>. So that will increase your risk of type 2 diabetes <\/a>by 28%,” she adds.<\/p>\n Sleep also helps regulate immune function. “Quality sleep will enhance what we call the natural killer cells, which is really crucial for cancer surveillance, and sleep deprivation can also reduce medication vaccine effectiveness as well.”<\/p>\n Bad sleep will impact your health in multiple ways. (Getty Images)<\/p>\n How to improve your sleep hygiene<\/p>\n So, what can you do if your sleep is patchy? The key, Dr Hasan says, is to focus on routine and simple, sustainable habits rather than overhauling everything at once.<\/p>\n Stick to a routine<\/p>\n The first step is supporting your circadian rhythm \u2013 your body\u2019s internal clock. That means aiming to go to bed and wake up around the same time every day, including weekends. “Sleeping in, having a lie-in for hours at the weekend, is really unhelpful,” Dr Hasan explains. “You want to get up within an hour of your normal sleep time.<\/p>\n “That strengthens the circadian rhythm without actually needing more sleep, because you\u2019ve optimised that quality of it, and you can feel the impact of it within a couple of weeks.”<\/p>\n Create a calm bedroom environment<\/p>\n A cool, dark and quiet bedroom makes it easier to fall \u2013 and stay \u2013 asleep. The Sleep Charity<\/a> recommends blackout blinds or an eye mask if light is an issue, and earplugs if you\u2019re sensitive to noise.<\/p>\n Dim or avoid screens before bed<\/p>\n![\"Top](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/77b27c30-d3d7-11ef-afff-c5f62b39f598.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/cd1210a0-9a5b-11f0-8f5b-2bd5e896bfae.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n