Researchers have announced that lack of sleep and sleep disorders may be one of the contributing factors in the increase in cancer cases in people under 50; these findings were presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
In one of these studies, researchers at MD Anderson Cancer Center examined health information from more than 18 million people aged 18 to 50. The results showed that people who suffer from sleep deprivation or irregular sleep patterns are more likely to develop certain cancers, including colon cancer, breast cancer, uterine cancer, and ovarian cancer.
According to experts, lack of sleep may impair the functioning of the immune system and reduce its ability to fight diseases.
Researchers have also emphasized that people who do not get enough sleep are more likely to engage in unhealthy behaviors such as smoking, being overweight, being inactive, and drinking alcohol, factors that are known to increase the risk of developing cancer.
However, experts have noted that these studies only show an association between sleep deprivation and increased cancer risk, and a direct cause-and-effect relationship between them cannot yet be definitively confirmed.
