Quality sleep can extend men’s lives by five years and women’s lives by two and a half years, according to new US scientific research presented Thursday at the American Heart Association’s annual meeting.

According to the researchers who conducted the study, there are five keys to getting enough sleep, and following these guidelines can have a positive effect in the treatment of various diseases, such as heart disease.

“If we can improve overall sleep, and identifying sleep disorders is especially important, we may be able to prevent some of these premature deaths,” said study co-author Frank Qian, a research fellow at Harvard Medical School and an internist at Beth Israel Deaconess. Medical Center in Boston.