It seems that insufficient sleep is linked to more aggressive form of breast cancers and the likelihood of its recurrence. A study has revealed led by Cheryl Thompson, Assistant Professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, analyzed medical records and survey responses from 412 post-menopausal breast cancer patients with Oncotype DX. Oncotype DX is a test used by physicians to guide treatment in early stage breast cancer by predicting likelihood of recurrence.

The article titled “Association of sleep duration and breast cancer OncotypeDX recurrence score” is published in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. Researchers found that women who reported sleeping six hours or less  per night on average before breast cancer diagnosis had increased Oncotype DX tumor recurrence scores. “This is the first study to suggest that women who routinely sleep fewer hours may develop more aggressive breast cancers compared with women who sleep longer hours,” Dr. Thompson said. “We found a strong correlation between fewer hours of sleep per night and worse recurrence scores, specifically in post-menopausal breast cancer patients. This suggests that lack of sufficient sleep may cause more aggressive tumors, but more research will need to be done to verify this finding and understand the causes of this association,” she said.

This is not the first study linking sleep issues with cancer. It has also been shown in study after study that sleep disordered breathing such as obstructive sleep apnea can lead to heart attack, stroke and diabetes complications. Science is just discovering how important good sleep can be for our overall health. Remember, your sleep can be negatively affected by the habits of your bed partner – sleeping next to someone who snores or who has untreated sleep apnea can cause you to lose hours of sleep each night.

If you suffer from obstructive sleep apnea or loud snoring please contact sleep apnea dentist Dr. Mark Levy in Columbus, OH at 614-476-6696 today to schedule a consultation. You may be able to solve your sleep breathing problem using an oral appliance – call today to find out more.