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Sleep duration during midlife and old age influences the risk of chronic diseases

News
November 4, 2022
By
Ehab Naim, MBA.

A study examined the link between sleep duration and multimorbidity, and assessed whether sleep duration at the age of 50 influences the natural course of chronic diseases.

Humans spend about one-third of their time sleeping, which highlights its importance for optimal physiological and psychological functioning. Research indicates a link between the amount of sleep people get, mortality, and chronic diseases like cancer and cardiovascular disorders. However, a number of questions in this domain remain unanswered, like the connection between multimorbidity (a term explaining the presence of multiple chronic diseases in the same individual) and sleep. The latter paucity is possibly attributed to the cross-sectional nature of conducted research. Other questions that require further investigation are related to the number of sleeping hours and whether short and long sleep durations represent a risk factor in multimorbidity. Another example where further research is needed is the impact of midlife or late-life sleep duration on the subsequent risk of developing multimorbid conditions.

To address unanswered questions, Sabia et al. defined two study objectives:

  1. Examine the link between sleep duration at the ages of 50, 60, and 70 and the incidence of multimorbidity.
  2. Assess whether sleep duration at the age of 50 influences the natural course of chronic diseases, from a healthy state to a first chronic disease, followed by multimorbidity and death.

To carry out their research, the investigators drew the data of over 7000 participants in the prospective Whitehall II cohort study (a study initiated in 1985 on 10,308 persons employed in the London offices of the British civil service). The data included information spanning 25 years of follow-up.

Results of the first study objective revealed that a sleep duration of ≤5 hours at the ages of 50, 60, and 70 was associated with a higher risk of incident multimorbidity. While for sleep duration ≥9 hours, the association was only observed when measured at the ages of 60 and 70. Regarding the second objective, study outcomes highlighted that short sleep durations at the age of 50 were linked with a 20% increase in the risk of first chronic condition development and subsequent multimorbidity. However, there was no clear evidence suggesting mortality associations. In addition, no strong associations were observed between sleep duration of ≥9 hours at the age of 50 and the risk of one chronic disease or multimorbidity.

The authors concluded that short sleep duration in midlife and old age is linked to a higher risk of developing chronic disease and multimorbidity. This highlights the benefits of maintaining a proper sleep routine as one of the protective measures against chronic disorders, emphasizing the importance of sleep duration and quality.

Source: Sabia S, Dugravot A, Léger D, Ben Hassen C, Kivimaki M, Singh-Manoux A (2022) Association of sleep duration at age 50, 60, and 70 years with risk of multimorbidity in the UK: 25-year follow-up of the Whitehall II cohort study. PLoS Med 19(10): e1004109. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1004109

Humans spend about one-third of their time sleeping, which highlights its importance for optimal physiological and psychological functioning. Research indicates a link between the amount of sleep people get, mortality, and chronic diseases like cancer and cardiovascular disorders. However, a number of questions in this domain remain unanswered, like the connection between multimorbidity (a term explaining the presence of multiple chronic diseases in the same individual) and sleep. The latter paucity is possibly attributed to the cross-sectional nature of conducted research. Other questions that require further investigation are related to the number of sleeping hours and whether short and long sleep durations represent a risk factor in multimorbidity. Another example where further research is needed is the impact of midlife or late-life sleep duration on the subsequent risk of developing multimorbid conditions.

To address unanswered questions, Sabia et al. defined two study objectives:

  1. Examine the link between sleep duration at the ages of 50, 60, and 70 and the incidence of multimorbidity.
  2. Assess whether sleep duration at the age of 50 influences the natural course of chronic diseases, from a healthy state to a first chronic disease, followed by multimorbidity and death.

To carry out their research, the investigators drew the data of over 7000 participants in the prospective Whitehall II cohort study (a study initiated in 1985 on 10,308 persons employed in the London offices of the British civil service). The data included information spanning 25 years of follow-up.

Results of the first study objective revealed that a sleep duration of ≤5 hours at the ages of 50, 60, and 70 was associated with a higher risk of incident multimorbidity. While for sleep duration ≥9 hours, the association was only observed when measured at the ages of 60 and 70. Regarding the second objective, study outcomes highlighted that short sleep durations at the age of 50 were linked with a 20% increase in the risk of first chronic condition development and subsequent multimorbidity. However, there was no clear evidence suggesting mortality associations. In addition, no strong associations were observed between sleep duration of ≥9 hours at the age of 50 and the risk of one chronic disease or multimorbidity.

The authors concluded that short sleep duration in midlife and old age is linked to a higher risk of developing chronic disease and multimorbidity. This highlights the benefits of maintaining a proper sleep routine as one of the protective measures against chronic disorders, emphasizing the importance of sleep duration and quality.

Source: Sabia S, Dugravot A, Léger D, Ben Hassen C, Kivimaki M, Singh-Manoux A (2022) Association of sleep duration at age 50, 60, and 70 years with risk of multimorbidity in the UK: 25-year follow-up of the Whitehall II cohort study. PLoS Med 19(10): e1004109. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1004109

Article reviewed by
Dr. Ana Baroni MD. Ph.D.
SCIENTIFIC & MEDICAL ADVISOR
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Dr. Ana Baroni MD. Ph.D.

Scientific & Medical Advisor
Quality Garant

Ana has over 20 years of consultancy experience in longevity, regenerative and precision medicine. She has a multifaceted understanding of genomics, molecular biology, clinical biochemistry, nutrition, aging markers, hormones and physical training. This background allows her to bridge the gap between longevity basic sciences and evidence-based real interventions, putting them into the clinic, to enhance the healthy aging of people. She is co-founder of Origen.life, and Longevityzone. Board member at Breath of Health, BioOx and American Board of Clinical Nutrition. She is Director of International Medical Education of the American College of Integrative Medicine, Professor in IL3 Master of Longevity at Barcelona University and Professor of Nutrigenomics in Nutrition Grade in UNIR University.

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