Men With Sleep Problems at Higher Risk of Prostate Cancer

Men with sleep-related problems such as inability to fall asleep or stay asleep are twice more likely to develop prostate cancer than men who have no such problems, according to a new study.

"Sleep problems are very common in modern society and can have adverse health consequences. Women with sleep disruption have consistently been reported to be at an increased risk for breast cancer, but less is known about the potential role of sleep problems in prostate cancer," said Lara G. Sigurdardóttir, M.D., at the University of Iceland in Reykjavik in a news release.

A good night's sleep is very important for good health. Lack of quality sleep can lead to various conditions like stroke and cancer. Previous research, published in the journal Obesity, reported that a short sleep duration was found to be independently associated with weight gain among all age groups.  Another study published in American Journal of Epidemiology also links reduced sleep with modest weight gain in women.

The present study included 2,102 men from an Icelandic cohort. Study participants had completed questionnaires when they enrolled in the research and provided data about their sleep habits.

About 8.7 percent of the men in the study had severe sleep issues, and 5.7 had very severe sleep issues. At the beginning of the study, none of the men had prostate cancer. By the time the study ended (about five years), about 6.4 percent had developed the cancer.

Researchers found that even after accounting for other health problems, sleep loss correlated with the development of prostate cancer in men with severe and very severe sleep problems. The risk of prostate cancer for these men was about 1.6 to 2 fold higher than other men. Also, men with sleep problems had a risk of developing an advanced type of prostate cancer.

"Prostate cancer is one of the leading public health concerns for men and sleep problems are quite common. If our results are confirmed with further studies, sleep may become a potential target for intervention to reduce the risk for prostate cancer," Sigurdardóttir said in a news release.

The study is published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.