CBT for Insomnia Linked to Slower Biological Aging

A UCLA Health study found cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia slowed biological aging in older adults, compared with a sleep education program.

Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Sleep Disorders

Quiet early-morning bedroom with white linen bedding, a bedside lamp on a wooden nightstand, and soft daylight through a window. — UCLA Health researchers found cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia slowed biological aging in older adults, roughly tripling insomnia remission compared with sleep education. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Would you try a non-medication sleep therapy if it could help you age better?

UCLA Health scientists published a study finding that cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) slowed biological aging in older adults. The therapy also produced about three times greater insomnia remission than sleep education.

Why it matters

Up to 25% of older adults deal with insomnia, and the study suggests a non-medication therapy may affect aging markers as well as sleep. The findings point to a possible link between sleep treatment and long-term health in an aging population.

The study randomly assigned about 100 older adults over eight weeks and tracked blood samples for biological aging over two years using three DNA aging calculators. Larger trials testing other insomnia treatments have not yet been reported.

The players

UCLA Health

UCLA Health is the academic health system of the University of California, Los Angeles, whose scientists conducted the study.

The details

Participants were randomly assigned to CBT-I or a sleep education program, and all gave blood samples before the study and at periodic follow-up visits. CBT-I significantly slowed the rate of biological aging based on one major aging clock, according to the study published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity.

Participants gave baseline blood samples before the study began.
The eight-week intervention period tested CBT-I against sleep education.
Blood samples were tested periodically over the following two years.
The article reporting the findings was published on November 4, 2026.

Health Landscape

The study connects a behavioral sleep treatment to measures of biological aging rather than only to sleep quality. It positions CBT-I as a possible tool for healthy aging alongside its established role for insomnia.

Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia is a structured therapy used without medications, which may matter to older adults seeking non-drug options. The study's findings are preliminary and do not yet establish a clinical recommendation.

The takeaway

Treating insomnia with behavioral therapy may offer benefits beyond better sleep, according to early findings. Larger studies will be needed before the link to slower biological aging is clear.