Read more https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgp558qkz0o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss
The doctor strike is ending - what comes next?
Read more https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4glxxxj3e0o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss
Your sleep schedule could be making you sick, says massive new study
- Date:
- Source:
- Health Data Science
- Summary:
- A global study of over 88,000 adults reveals that poor sleep habits—like going to bed inconsistently or having disrupted circadian rhythms—are tied to dramatically higher risks for dozens of diseases, including liver cirrhosis and gangrene. Contrary to common belief, sleeping more than 9 hours wasn't found to be harmful when measured objectively, exposing flaws in previous research. Scientists now say it's time to redefine “good sleep” to include regularity, not just duration, as biological mechanisms like inflammation may underlie these powerful sleep-disease links.
FULL STORY
A groundbreaking international study, recently published in Health Data Science, analyzed objective sleep data from 88,461 adults in the UK Biobank and found significant associations between sleep traits and 172 diseases. The research, led by teams from Peking University and Army Medical University, highlights sleep regularity -- such as bedtime consistency and circadian rhythm stability -- as an underrecognized but critical factor in disease risk.
Using actigraphy data over an average of 6.8 years, researchers identified that 92 diseases had over 20% of their risk attributable to poor sleep behavior. Notably, irregular bedtime (after 00:30) was linked to a 2.57-fold higher risk of liver cirrhosis, while low interdaily stability increased the risk of gangrene by 2.61 times.
Importantly, the study challenges previous claims that "long sleep" (≥9 hours) is harmful. While subjective reports have linked long sleep to stroke and heart disease, objective data revealed this association in only one disease. Misclassification may be to blame: 21.67% of "long sleepers" actually slept less than 6 hours, suggesting that time spent in bed is often confused with actual sleep time.
"Our findings underscore the overlooked importance of sleep regularity," said Prof. Shengfeng Wang, senior author of the study. "It's time we broaden our definition of good sleep beyond just duration."
The team confirmed several associations in U.S. populations and identified inflammatory pathways as a possible biological link. Future research will explore causality and assess the impact of sleep interventions on chronic disease outcomes.
Story Source:
Materials provided by Health Data Science. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
- Yimeng Wang, Qiaorui Wen, Siwen Luo, Lijuan Tang, Siyan Zhan, Jia Cao, Shengfeng Wang, Qing Chen. 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, 2025; 5 DOI: 10.34133/hds.0161[1]
Cite This Page:
Health Data Science. "Your sleep schedule could be making you sick, says massive new study." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 29 July 2025. <www.sciencedaily.com
Health Data Science. (2025, July 29). Your sleep schedule could be making you sick, says massive new study. ScienceDaily. Retrieved July 29, 2025 from www.sciencedaily.com
Health Data Science. "Your sleep schedule could be making you sick, says massive new study." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com
RELATED STORIES
All-in-One Model Reconstructs Complex Liver Architecture[2]
May 29, 2025 The liver has a unique structure, especially at the level of individual cells. Hepatocytes, the main liver cells, release bile into tiny channels called bile canaliculi, which drain into the bile ...
Biological Clock Plays Critical Role in Driving Teens' Late-Day Eating Habits[3]
Feb. 17, 2025 The causes of obesity are complex and influenced by many factors. While research has highlighted connections between sleep, eating patterns and weight gain, scientists remain uncertain of the role of ...
Liver Transplant Outperforms Other Therapies for Colorectal Cancer That Has Spread to the Liver[4]
July 30, 2024 A study followed patients whose colorectal cancer was under control, but who had liver tumors that could not be surgically removed. All patients were eligible for liver transplantation, but some ...
Study Finds Targeting Inflammation May Not Help Reduce Liver Fibrosis in MAFLD[5]
July 26, 2024 A surprising discovery by UCLA Health researchers may rewrite our understanding of how liver disease progresses. While it's long been believed that inflammation drives the scarring known as ...
New Research in Fatty Liver Disease Aims to Help With Early Intervention[6]
July 25, 2024 A new study brings researchers closer to better understanding the pathology of the fatty liver disease MASH, which stands for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis. MASH is a consequence ...
Pressure in the Biliary System Leads to Tissue Changes in the Liver[7]
Sep. 6, 2023 The liver produces bile, which the intestine uses for digestion. For the transport of bile, the liver relies on a network of microscopic tubings, known as bile canaliculi, formed by liver cells ...
TRENDING AT SCITECHDAILY.com[8]
Rewriting Physics Textbooks: Scientists Propose a Bold New Theory About the Universe’s Origins[9]
MIT Just Proved Einstein Wrong in the Most Famous Quantum Experiment[10]
545-Million-Year-Old Footprints Rewrite the Origin Story of Complex Life[11]
Why Experts Say You Should Be Taking Creatine – Even if You Don’t Work Out[12]
Parents 'horrified' by maternity services report
Read more https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y2m51krkko?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss