If you have trouble sleeping, you may be putting yourself at risk for more than just chronic fatigue. New research shows chronic sleep loss increases the risk of developing ulcerative colitis.
The study — published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the journal of the American Gastroenterological Association — found individuals who don’t get the recommended seven to eight hours of sleep each night are more likely to develop the digestive disorder.
"Both short and long durations of sleep have important health implications and are associated with increased overall mortality, cardiovascular disease, and cancer," noted lead researcher Ashwin N. Ananthakrishnan, M.D., of Massachusetts General Hospital. "Our findings indicate that ulcerative colitis may potentially be added to this list.
“We found that less than six hours of sleep per day and more than nine hours of sleep per day are each associated with an increased risk of ulcerative colitis."
The findings are based on an analysis of women who were enrolled in the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) I since 1976 and NHS II since 1989. The results linked sleep duration and risk of ulcerative colitis, independent of other risk factors.
In a previous study, also published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology last year, Dr. Ananthakrishnan and colleagues reported that poor sleep quality resulted in a two fold increase in risk of Crohn's disease flares at six months.
"All these data together support a growing recognition of the impact of sleep disruption on the immune system, and the need for providers to frequently inquire about sleep duration and quality as an important parameter of health in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases," said Dr. Ananthakrishnan.
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