NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Not all stages of sleep are equal in terms of benefits for the brain.
Greater amounts of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep were associated with lower risks of 83 diseases, including dementia, Parkinson’s disease and heart failure, according to new research.
Additionally, greater amounts of deep sleep were associated with lower risks of seven conditions.
THIS QUESTION CAN REVEAL WHETHER YOUR BODY IS GETTING THE REST IT NEEDS, STUDY SAYS
This is according to a study of 95,559 adults who wore wrist accelerometers continuously for seven consecutive days and nights. Chinese researchers used deep learning algorithms to analyze REM sleep, deep sleep, light sleep, total sleep duration, wakefulness after sleep onset, and sleep irregularities.
They then reviewed medical records to assess associations with more than 1,000 diseases over a follow-up period of nearly nine years.
Greater amounts of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep were associated with lower risks of 83 diseases, including dementia, Parkinson’s disease and heart failure, according to new research. (iStock)
Greater REM sleep was associated with a significantly lower risk of several diseases, including Parkinson’s disease (80% lower relative risk), dementia (46% lower risk), and heart failure (26% lower risk).
Deeper sleep was associated with lower risks of seven conditions, including type 2 diabetes and major depressive disorder.
MORE NAPS, HIGHER RISK? RESEARCH LINKS ON SLEEP DAY AND HEALTH WARNINGS IN AGING ADULTS
Sleep duration has also been shown to be strongly linked to disease progression. Six to eight hours per night was found to be the “sweet spot” associated with the lowest risk of 69 diseases. In contrast, sleeping less than five hours per night was associated with an increased risk of 37 health problems.
The study also found that greater night-to-night sleep irregularity and greater alertness during the night were associated with higher risks of several conditions, including anxiety and substance use disorders.
The results were published September 17 in the journal PLOS Medicine.
Disrupted sleep can sometimes be a warning sign of illness rather than just the cause, a sleep expert noted. (iStock)
“I think what’s important is the total sleep time and the percentage occupied by REM,” Oki Ishikawa, MD, an expert in pulmonary care, critical care and sleep medicine at Northern Westchester Hospital in Northwell, told Fox News Digital.
“The average percentage of REM sleep in this study population was approximately 20%, and generally 20 to 25% is considered normal per sleep cycle.”
A 5-STEP SLEEP RESET COULD PROMOTE HEALTHY WEIGHT LOSS, SAYS NUTRITIONIST
Ishikawa, who was not involved in the study, said he did not believe that a higher amount of REM sleep would necessarily reduce risk.
“Normal sleep patterns and duration are associated with things like maintaining good immune function and memory, so I think the important message here is to try to get enough sleep in general,” Ishikawa said.
The researchers used deep learning algorithms to analyze REM sleep, deep sleep, light sleep, total sleep duration, wakefulness after sleep onset, and sleep irregularities. (iStock)
According to Dr. Chelsie Rohrscheib, chief sleep expert at Wesper, a sleep analytics company in New York, disrupted sleep can sometimes be a warning sign of illness rather than just the cause.
“Diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, dementia and heart failure can begin to affect sleep years before they are diagnosed,” Rohrscheib, who was also not involved in the research, told Fox News Digital.
“At the same time, poor sleep can contribute to disease progression, so the relationship probably works both ways.”
DIETITIAN REVEALS SIMPLE DIETARY STRATEGY FOR BETTER SLEEP – AND A HABIT TO AVOID
The researchers noted some limitations of the study. Because it was an observational study, it could only show an association and could not prove that increasing REM or deep sleep directly prevented the disease.
“Sleep was measured for only one week using a wrist-based device, which is less accurate than a clinical sleep study for identifying sleep stages,” Rohrscheib said.
“Poor sleep can contribute to disease progression, so the relationship probably works both ways,” one expert said. (iStock)
“Some health information was collected years earlier, medications that could affect sleep were not fully considered, and some medical diagnoses may have been missed.”
Because the participants all came from the UK Biobank, the study population was also less diverse and generally healthier than the overall population, so the results might not apply equally to everyone, Rohrscheib noted.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
“Overall, changes in sleep can provide important clues about underlying health, but this study cannot determine whether poor sleep is a cause, an early symptom, or both,” she concluded.
Rohrscheib also cautioned that while wrist-worn sleep trackers are generally effective at estimating sleep stages, they are not 100% accurate.
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
“Without a formal laboratory sleep study, it is impossible to know how much time participants spent in REM sleep and other sleep stages,” she said.
More research is needed to determine whether increasing REM or deep sleep can help prevent certain diseases, the researchers said.
“If you’re getting about seven to nine hours of uninterrupted sleep, you’re probably able to get through REM sufficiently.”
Future studies could also determine whether the relationship between sleep stages and disease risk varies by age, gender, general health, and other individual characteristics.
Both experts recommended following general sleep hygiene practices, such as maintaining an optimal environment (dark, cool, and quiet), maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, and avoiding sleep-disrupting substances such as alcohol and caffeine.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“If you have other sleep conditions like sleep apnea…treating it would be a great way to optimize the amount of REM sleep,” Ishikawa advised.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
Although it can be difficult to measure REM sleep without a wearable device, he said the best indicator is whether one feels refreshed when they wake up and is not sleepy during the day.
“If you’re getting about seven to nine hours of uninterrupted sleep, you’re probably able to get through REM sufficiently.”
Gn Health
