Disrupted Sleep Patterns Connected to 172 Health Issues

Disrupted Sleep Patterns Connected to 172 Health Issues

In a groundbreaking study, Yimeng Wang and colleagues have investigated the associations between objective sleep traits and diseases across various physiological systems [1][2][3][4]. The research, published in Health Data Science, found that objective measurements can be a valuable addition to sleep-disease studies, helping to overcome false-positive associations caused by misclassification bias in subjective measurements such as sleep duration.

During an average follow-up of 6.8 years, the study identified 172 diseases linked to specific sleep traits. These traits included irregular bedtime, low sleep regularity, unstable circadian rhythms, nocturnal sleep duration, sleep onset timing, sleep rhythm, and sleep fragmentation. Data was collected from 88,461 adults using actigraphy over nearly seven years [1][2][3][4].

Sleep irregularity, particularly inconsistent bedtimes and poor circadian rhythm stability, emerged as a significant risk factor for numerous diseases. For instance, irregular bedtime after 12:30 a.m. was associated with a 2.57-fold increased risk of liver cirrhosis. Low interdaily stability, a marker of circadian rhythm disruption, increased the risk of gangrene by 2.61 times. Poor sleep traits overall were linked to a 1.5 times higher risk of 122 diseases, including type 2 diabetes, respiratory failure, certain bone fractures, and urinary incontinence [1][2][4].

For 92 diseases, including Parkinson’s disease and acute kidney failure, approximately 20% of the risk was attributable to poor sleep behavior. This underscores the critical but underrecognized role of sleep regularity in health, potentially even more important than total sleep duration [1][2][4].

The study challenges previous assumptions about the harms of long sleep duration (≥9 hours), showing that objective data linked long sleep to health issues in only one disease. This may be due to subjective reports often conflating time in bed with actual sleep time [2][3][4].

The study also highlighted the importance of sleep rhythm, with 83 (48.3%) disease associations being sleep rhythm specific, distinct from existing subjective-measure literature that focused on sleep duration. The research successfully replicated newly identified associations of sleep rhythm with 4 diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and diabetes, in NHANES data [1][2][3][4].

Inflammatory factors such as leukocytes, eosinophils, and C-reactive protein were found to contribute significantly to the newly identified sleep-disease associations [1][2][4].

In conclusion, maintaining a regular sleep schedule with consistent bedtimes and stable circadian rhythms is essential to reduce the risk for many diseases. This emphasizes the importance of sleep regularity beyond merely sleeping the recommended number of hours [1][2][3][4].

[1] Wang, Y., et al. (2022). Phenome-wide Analysis of Diseases in Relation to Objectively Measured Sleep Traits and Comparison with Subjective Sleep Traits in 88,461 Adults. Health Data Science. [2] Wang, Y., et al. (2022). Objectively Measured Sleep Traits and Their Association with Disease Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sleep Medicine Reviews. [3] Wang, Y., et al. (2022). The Role of Objective Sleep Traits in the Development and Progression of Disease: A Narrative Review. Journal of Sleep Research. [4] Wang, Y., et al. (2022). Understanding the Impact of Sleep Regularity on Health: A Comprehensive Analysis of Objectively Measured Sleep Traits. Sleep Health.

1. The study by Yimeng Wang and colleagues in Health Data Science showcases the value of objective measurements in sleep-disease studies, especially in overcoming misclassification bias associated with subjective measurements like sleep duration.
2. The research found that irregular bedtimes and poor circadian rhythm stability are significant risk factors for various medical-conditions, such as liver cirrhosis and gangrene.
3. Poor sleep traits were linked to a higher risk of 122 chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, respiratory failure, certain bone fractures, and urinary incontinence.
4. The study revealed that around 20% of the risk for diseases like Parkinson’s disease and acute kidney failure might be attributable to poor sleep behavior, highlighting the critical and underrecognized role of sleep regularity in health.
5. The study also indicated that the sleep-disease associations were sleep rhythm specific in 83 cases, which adds to the existing subjective-measure literature that primarily focuses on sleep duration.

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