Share to ClassroomStudies Link Bad Sleep to Under-50 Cancer
Two large American studies say that bad sleep may raise the risk of cancer in adults under 50. The studies were shared at a big cancer meeting in Chicago. Researchers looked at health records from over 18 million Americans aged 18 to 50. More than 413,000 of them had insomnia, which means trouble sleeping. They found that young adults with insomnia were three times more likely to get cancer within five years than people who slept well. The strongest link was in cancers that affect women.
Cancer in young adults is rising around the world. Global cases grew from 1.82 million in 1990 to 3.26 million in 2019, a jump of nearly 80%. Women with insomnia had three times the risk of breast cancer. They also had a higher risk of uterine and ovarian cancer. Men and women with insomnia were both twice as likely to get bowel cancer. But men's prostate and testicular cancer did not seem linked to sleep problems.
Experts say more research is needed before doctors change their advice. The studies show that bad sleep and cancer are linked, but they do not prove that bad sleep causes cancer. For now, people can lower their cancer risk by not smoking, staying at a healthy weight, and protecting their skin from the sun.
