---
title: "CBT-I for Insomnia Linked to Slower Biological Aging in Older Adults"
id: "medical-news-today-0-could-treating-insomnia-slow-biological-aging-study-finds-promising-link"
canonical_url: "https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/medical-news-today-0-could-treating-insomnia-slow-biological-aging-study-finds-promising-link"
content_type: "clinical_feed_article"
specialty: "Neurology"
source_name: "Medical News Today"
source_url: "https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/could-treating-insomnia-slow-biological-aging-study-finds-promising-link/"
published_at: "2026-09-22T15:57:00.000Z"
evidence_level: "Verified Feed"
license: "CC-BY-NC-4.0 / Informational Use"
---
# CBT-I for Insomnia Linked to Slower Biological Aging in Older Adults
## Provenance & Clinical Metadata
- **Canonical URL:** https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/medical-news-today-0-could-treating-insomnia-slow-biological-aging-study-finds-promising-link
- **Specialty:** [Neurology](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/neurology.md)
- **Primary Source:** Medical News Today
- **Source URL:** [Original Journal Publication](https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/could-treating-insomnia-slow-biological-aging-study-finds-promising-link/)
- **Published At:** 2026-09-22T15:57:00.000Z
- **Evidence Rating:** Verified Feed
## Executive GIST (TL;DR)
- A randomized controlled trial at UCLA Health found that older adults who received **cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I)** were nearly three times more likely to remit from insomnia than those who received sleep education. - The trial enrolled nearly 100 adults aged 60 years or older meeting DSM-IV criteria for insomnia disorder and randomized them to CBT-I or a sleep-education control. - Blood samples were collected before the 8-week intervention and during follow-up over the next two years. Researchers applied three **epigenetic clocks**—DunedinPACE, GrimAge, and PC-PhenoAge—to estimate aspects of **biological aging**. - CBT-I was associated with a statistically significant slowing in the pace of biological aging as measured by **DunedinPACE**; the average observed difference between groups was −0.02, interpreted by the authors as about a 2% slower aging rate per year in the CBT-I group. - The findings do not indicate reversal of aging or that participants became biologically younger; the result reflects a change in a biomarker-based rate-of-aging measure. - Investigators caution the study was relatively small and further research is needed to determine whether treating insomnia with CBT-I can extend lifespan or prevent age-related diseases. - The authors emphasize treating insomnia has established benefits for sleep and daytime function and may also have broader implications for health via effects on stress regulation, metabolism, inflammation, and cardiovascular function. - The biological mechanisms linking improved sleep to slower epigenetic aging remain uncertain and require additional study.
## Clinical Analysis & Structured Key Points
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Study finds promising link Written by Peter Morales-Brown on September 22, 2026 — Fact checked by Jill Seladi-Schulman, Ph.D. ![An older adult sitting in bed because they cannot sleep due to insomnia.](https://media.post.rvohealth.io/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/09/getty_1466596347_header_1296x728-1024x575.jpg)[Share on Pinterest](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.medicalnewstoday.com%2Farticles%2Fcould-treating-insomnia-slow-biological-aging-study-finds-promising-link&media=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.post.rvohealth.io%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F3%2F2026%2F09%2Fgetty_1466596347_header_1296x728-1024x575.jpg&description=Treating%20insomnia%20with%20CBT-I%20may%20slow%20biological%20aging%20in%20older%20adults "Share on Pinterest")Could tackling insomnia with CBT-I help slow the body’s aging clock? Filmstax / Getty Images * **A new study suggests that older adults who received cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) were nearly three times as likely to experience insomnia remission as those who received sleep education.** * **CBT-I was also associated with a slower pace of biological aging, measured using three epigenetic clocks analyzing blood samples.** * **However, as the study was small, further research is necessary to determine whether CBT-I actually extends life span or prevents age-related disease.** [Insomnia](https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/9155) is a common sleep disorder in the United States, with approximately [one-third](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7822610/) of adults reporting insomnia symptoms and up to 20% having symptoms that meet the criteria for insomnia disorder. The prevalence of insomnia increases to up to 40% for people older than 65 years of age. Insomnia can negatively affect daytime functioning, mood, cognition, and overall quality of life. First-line care often involves [cognitive behavioral therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I)](https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/insomnia-therapy). This describes a [structured form of therapy](https://stanfordhealthcare.org/medical-treatments/c/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-insomnia/procedures.html) designed specifically for insomnia. Rather than simply providing information about sleep, it [addresses ](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10002474/)thoughts and behaviors that can contribute to persistent difficulty falling or staying asleep, without the side effects linked to sleeping pills. **Now, a new study suggests that CBT-I may do more than improve sleep. In older adults with insomnia, the treatment was associated with a slower pace of biological aging.** The study from UCLA Health, published in [The Lancet Healthy LongevityTrusted Source](https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanhl/article/PIIS2666-7568\(26\)00045-0/fulltext), found that treating insomnia with CBT-I was associated with both improved sleep outcomes and a slower pace of biological aging, as estimated by epigenetic clocks. ## CBT-I linked to greater insomnia remission, slower aging The randomized controlled trial involved nearly 100 adults ages 60 years or older meeting DSM-IV criteria for insomnia disorder and were recruited from Los Angeles, CA, USA. Participants were assigned to one of two treatments: either CBT-I, or the control group, which received sleep education, providing general information about sleep and healthy sleep habits. **According to the researchers, people who received CBT-I were nearly 3 times as likely to experience remission of their insomnia compared with those who received sleep education.** The study also examined whether treating insomnia was associated with changes in biological aging. [Chronological age](https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/chronological-aging) measures the number of years a person has been alive, whereas biological aging refers to changes occurring in cells and tissues over time. Researchers can estimate aspects of this process using [epigenetic clocksTrusted Source](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41576-024-00807-w). For this study, researchers analyzed blood samples collected before the 8-week treatment began and at follow-up visits during the next 2 years. They used three measures of biological aging: [DunedinPACE](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8853656/), [GrimAge](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6366976/), and [PC-PhenoAge](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12315259/). **The researchers found that CBT-I was associated with a significant slowing in the pace of biological aging, as measured by the DunedinPACE.** However, the findings do not suggest that CBT-I can reverse aging or make someone biologically younger. Rather, the researchers observed a difference in a biomarker-based measure of the rate of biological aging. “I think the most important message is that there are treatment options for those who suffer from insomnia, and it is important to treat the insomnia, not just to help you sleep better but also to help protect your health,” lead author [Judith Carroll](https://www.uclahealth.org/cancer/members/judith-carroll), PhD, an associate professor of psychiatry at UCLA Health, explained to _Medical News Today_. > “The observed difference between the two treatment arms in the pace of aging was on average -0.02, which indicates that with each year of aging, those in the CBT-I were aging 2% slower. This is difficult to put into practical terms for an individual, but over time, this could become meaningful in terms of their health.” > — Judith Carroll, PhD ## Why might sleep affect aging? Previous research has [linked](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10879461/) insomnia with markers of accelerated biological aging. Poor or insufficient sleep may affect several processes involved in health, including stress regulation, metabolism, inflammation, and cardiovascular function. Over time, disruptions in these systems [could potentially](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1087079226000274) contribute to age-related disease. **Therefore, the researchers suggest that improving sleep could be one way of influencing some of the biological processes associated with aging. However, the biological mechanisms behind the association remain uncertain.** “We understand that sleep is an important time to allow the biological processes in the body to recover from daytime activity and stressors. Sleep is a time when the body’s parasympathetic nervous system is active, which puts the brake on the [sympathetic nervous system](https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/327450),” Carroll highlighted to _MNT_. > “When there is a rise in the stress response system, we see increased cellular activity such as inflammation and metabolism, which are sources of damage and can drive tissue damage and aging at the cellular level, increasing risk for declines in function and disease. By shutting down this during sleep and giving the body and cells time to repair damage, shut off the inflammatory signal, and heal, we think this then impacts biological aging pathways.” > — Judith Carroll, PhD “CBT-I helps improve overall regulation of the nervous system through stress management techniques, identifying stress/anxiety triggers, learning to restructure how one responds internally to these triggers, and reconditions the body to begin again to associate bedtime and getting into bed with sleeping through sleep hygiene techniques.” **“CBT-I is a well-designed approach to treat insomnia and is highly effective for many — it is the gold standard treatment currently in medical practice,” she concluded.** ## What does this mean for people with insomnia? The findings are promising, but they do not establish that CBT-I directly slows aging or that treating insomnia will prevent age-related diseases. **Although encouraging, the study involved fewer than 100 participants recruited from a single site in Los Angeles. Larger studies involving participants from multiple locations and more diverse populations will be necessary to determine whether the findings can be replicated.** The study also measured biological aging using epigenetic clocks. Although these measures are useful research tools, changes in an aging biomarker do not necessarily i
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