More REM Sleep Linked to Lower Risk of Many Diseases
A good night's sleep may matter even more than we thought. A large new study has linked healthy sleep patterns with a lower risk of dozens of diseases later in life.
Researchers led by Shengzhi Sun of Capital Medical University in China looked at data from 95,559 people in the UK Biobank. Each person wore a wrist activity tracker for seven days and nights. A computer model then worked out how much time they spent in REM sleep, deep sleep and light sleep, plus how long and how regularly they slept. The team followed their health records for a median of almost nine years.
People who got more REM sleep, the stage when most dreaming happens, had a lower risk of 83 diseases, including heart failure, dementia and Parkinson's disease. More deep sleep was linked to lower risk of seven conditions, such as type 2 diabetes and major depression.
How long people slept mattered too. For many conditions, the lowest risk showed up for those who slept between 6 and 8 hours a night. People who slept less than 5 hours had a higher risk of 37 conditions. Irregular sleep and waking up a lot during the night were linked to higher risk of some problems, including anxiety.
There is an important note. This was an observational study, so it shows links, not proof that sleep itself changes disease risk. Still, the authors say their results add support for 6 to 8 hours of sleep as a healthy target for middle-aged and older adults.
Simple habits, like a regular bedtime, can help. Anyone with ongoing sleep trouble should talk to a doctor. The study appeared in PLOS Medicine.
