World Cancer Day 2021: A good night’s sleep can keep you safe from cancer

This World Cancer Day, it is important to spark conversations around sleep and its correlation with cancer. Read on to know more.

By: Editorial Team | Edited by: Jahnavi Sarma | | Updated: February 4, 2021 12:46 pm

Circadian disruption has been linked to the development of breast cancer, cancer of the liver, colon, lung, pancreas, and ovaries.

A healthy sleep cycle is vital for our overall wellbeing. Sleep is not a passive phenomenon, and since we spend over 1/3^rd of our lives sleeping, it is important that we take care of the quality of our sleep. Unhealthy or disturbed sleep cycle is related to several prevalent health issues today – right from cardiovascular diseases to obesity, type 2 diabetes and even cancer. And therefore, this World Cancer Day, it is important to spark conversations around sleep and its correlation with cancer, and in line with this year’s theme – ‘I am and I will’, so that people are more aware about cancer and can collectively build an enduring future that is cancer free. Also Read - Acid reflux ups your risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma: Warning signs to look out for

Cancer is a major cause of mortality and morbidity across the globe. In India itself, according to the World Cancer Report 2018 – there are about 1.16 million new cancer cases, 784,800 cancer deaths, and 2.26 million 5-year prevalent cases in a population of 1.35 billion. It is estimated that globally, over 21% men and 18% women will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives. With over 18 million cases in 2018, we can expect 29 million cases by 2040 due to aging and a growing population. Also Read - New gene-based blood tests can detect skin cancers and reduce death risks

Disruption in circadian rhythm linked to cancer

While conversations on cancer are prevalent, when it comes to sleep, awareness in our country is low, as is evident from the lack of sleep laboratories across the country. Additionally, there are no active or high impact sleep awareness campaigns that are being run and supplemented with the absence of any policies about sleep testing. There is ever growing evidence that disruption in circadian rhythm has been linked to increased propensity to develop cancer. Circadian rhythm determines cell growth and, cell damage repair along with production of hormones and immune response. Circadian disruption has been linked to the development of breast cancer, cancer of the liver, colon, lung, pancreas, and ovaries. Also Read - Bladder cancer: This drug can reduce death risk in patients with this condition

Lack of sleep alters balance of hormones that influence cancer cells

A study at Stanford University has found out that lack of sleep alters the balance of two hormones that can influence cancer cells – Cortisol and Melatonin. Cortisol, or the so called stress hormone, helps in the regulation of immune system activity, including the release of certain cells that act as a natural killer and fight the production of cancer cells in the body. The level of cortisol peaks at dawn, after hours of sleep, and tends to decline throughout the day.

People who have an aberrant sleeping pattern, or those who tend to sleep in the day, especially nightshift workers, are seen to have abnormal or ‘shifted cortisol rhythm’. This significantly impacts the development of cancer cells. In fact, people who tend to wake up multiple times at night, as in the case of sleep apnea patients, also show signs of abnormal cortisol patterns. Sleep Disordered breathing like Obstructive Sleep Apnea has also been linked to risk of cancer in several small studies. Another hormone that is impacted by an interrupted sleep cycle is melatonin. Melatonin is produced by the brain during sleep and has been found to fight tumor growth and promote DNA repair, leading to cancer protective effects.

Insomnia common among cancer patients, can affect treatment outcome

For people who are already living with cancer, sleep does not come easy, and there are multiple reasons why. Steroids and other medication taken during the period can cause insomnia, as can the stress and emotional burden that cancer causes. Depression and mental health also cause patients to be sleep deprived and in the case of cancer patients – vice versa. Disruptions in the body’s biological clock, or the circadian rhythm, makes patients even more weak and does not support recovery and effectiveness of treatment.

In conclusion

It is evident that sleep does have correlations with cancer and is significant for both cancer patients and others. It is thus important to get our sleep schedule right and in case of symptoms like morning headaches, snoring, insomnia, disrupted sleep, it is prudent to speak to a sleep specialist. Today, there are numerous tests that can be undertaken at the comfort of your homes without having to spend the night at a sleep laboratory. ResMed’s cloud connected solutions and convenient sleep testing solutions like OneSleepTest can help in improving your sleep.

(This article is authored by Dr. Sibasish Dey, Head, Medical Affairs, Asia and Latin America, ResMed)

Published : February 4, 2021 11:36 am | Updated:February 4, 2021 12:46 pm

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