Would you expect to be able to read a string theory research paper too just because the topic sounds interesting to you? And to be clear: You don't need a scientific background to read about sleep regularity and how it affects mortality. I'm sure there are more than enough popsci articles that will pick this up. You only need it if you want to understand the original research papers. Because unlike popular science magazines (which have journalists writing for laypeople), research papers are written by scientists for other scientists.