Long-term sleep deprivation increases cancer risk by 47%! A 1-day routine to cure insomnia without medication

Long-term sleep deprivation increases cancer risk by 47%! A 1-day schedule to cure insomnia without medication

【Good Morning Health Editorial Department】A survey by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine found that nearly 60% of Americans experienced "COVID insomnia" after the COVID-19 pandemic, including difficulty falling asleep, insufficient sleep, poorer sleep quality, or disturbing dreams. A survey by the Taiwan Society of Sleep Medicine also showed that the percentage of people with insomnia symptoms increased from 42.9% before the pandemic to 59.7% before and after the Level 3 alert, with 78.8% experiencing problems for more than a month.

3 Major Factors Contributing to Sleep Disorders

Diseases, especially sleep apnea, staying up late, and poor sleeping environment are the three major factors contributing to sleep disorders. The aforementioned increase in insomnia during the COVID-19 pandemic may be due to physiological sequelae or various psychological pressures that worsened sleep quality.

The impact of sleep apnea on the body is not only the risk of cardiovascular disease and accidents, said Dr. Li Hsueh-yu, a professor of snore and sleep surgery at Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. Recent studies have found that patients with sleep apnea have more than three times higher chance of contracting COVID-19 and other major infectious diseases than the general population; about 40% of cancer deaths are related to hypoxia and sleep apnea, and 80% of other chronic diseases also have a causal relationship.

Diabetes, Glaucoma, Vertigo, Sudden Deafness

What other chronic diseases are there? Li Hsueh-yu said that for patients with poorly controlled diabetes, doctors would now ask them, "Do you have insomnia or snoring?" This is because research has found that sleep apnea can worsen insulin resistance, making the two comorbid conditions. Furthermore, in patients with mild sleep apnea, glycated hemoglobin levels are 1.4% higher than in the general population, and 3.69% higher in severe patients. Therefore, treating sleep apnea also has the potential to improve diabetes.

Most glaucoma patients are associated with high intraocular pressure, but there are also cases of normal intraocular pressure glaucoma. This is because sleep apnea causes hypoxia, leading to constriction of capillaries in the eye and subsequent optic nerve atrophy, which resembles glaucoma. Similarly, due to hypoxia, the ears may experience vertigo (the three semicircular canals cannot function due to lack of oxygen), tinnitus (large-scale statistical data show that long-term hypoxia worsens symptoms), and sudden deafness (1.48 times higher incidence than in the general population).

Various Gynecological Diseases

Not only sleep apnea, but also frequently staying up late or experiencing insomnia, leading to insufficient sleep or decreased sleep quality, has various negative effects on the body.

Long-term staying up late and other factors cause endocrine imbalance, with some hormones increasing and others decreasing. A study of 2,000 women showed that insufficient follicle-stimulating hormone may lead to polycystic ovary syndrome; significantly elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone levels may cause menstrual disorders, anovulation, amenorrhea, and habitual miscarriage, and further stimulate prolactin secretion, leading to infertility; long-term high levels of estradiol can lead to endometrial hyperplasia in women.

A survey by the American Cancer Society found that women who sleep less than 7 hours per night have a 47% higher risk of breast cancer and other cancers. Chinese medicine physician Yang Shimin also pointed out that long-term staying up late can easily lead to dysmenorrhea, cold limbs, premenstrual syndrome, and endometriosis. If one frequently eats fried and grilled foods, it may lead to adenomyosis and chocolate cysts.

Decreased Brain Function

Poor mental state during the day is a sign of decreased brain function, with impaired concentration, thinking, and judgment. One of the main functions of sleep is to consolidate long-term memory. If sleep time is insufficient, there will not be enough time to form long-term memories, and no matter how hard one studies during the day, they still won't remember!

And sleep apnea constantly interrupts the sleep process, affecting brain nerve cells by preventing the smooth removal of metabolic waste from the brain, including amyloid protein, which may lead to Alzheimer's disease.

In addition, during sleep, the human body secretes antidiuretic hormone to prevent waking up at night to urinate and disrupting sleep. However, due to poor sleep quality, the antidiuretic hormone decreases, which may lead to frequent urination!

Good Sleep 1-Day Schedule, Starting from Waking Up in the Morning