Lack of sleep can encourage growth of cancerous tumours

Jonathan Warren

Author: Jonathan Warren

28.03.2024

News

It is by no means news to us that sleep deprivation can have dire negative effects on the body. A good night's sleep is responsible for keeping the level of hormones balanced in the body, along with many other health-promoting functions. When we don't regularly get the amount of sleep our bodies need to perform at their optimum – especially if the immune system is already compromised with something like cancer – the body begins to shut down in various different ways. According to the Daily Mail, a study published in the scientific journal Cancer Research outlines that a lack of sleep can aid the growth and development of cancerous tumours, causing them to become more aggressive. The study looked at the effects of disturbed sleep on genetically engineered mice that had previously been given cancer cells. Split into two groups, half the mice were granted peaceful sleep whilst the others were periodically woken by a spinning brush. After four weeks of conditioning in the mice, the scientists found that the size of the tumours in the sleep-deprived mice were significantly larger than in those that were permitted to sleep, proving that sleeping well could have a positive effect on cancer-infected patients. Though, as study leader Dr David Gozal explained in the Daily Mail article, "It’s not the tumour, it’s the immune system. Fragmented sleep changes how the immune system deals with cancer in ways that make the disease more aggressive." These findings could point the way towards a new cancer treatment, Dr Gozal continues to explain. The biological mechanisms that come from sleep could theoretically be replicated to try and treat tumours, although this goal is very much in the distant future. "The take home message is to take care of your sleep quality and quantity like you take care of your bank account," he adds. Lack of sleep can encourage growth of cancerous tumours Lack of sleep can encourage growth of cancerous tumours