This One Sleep Habit Could Be Secretly Wrecking Your Health

From scitechdaily.com 

New research reveals that irregular sleep patterns, not just how long we sleep, may significantly raise the risk of numerous diseases

A massive new study examining real-world sleep data from over 88,000 UK adults has uncovered striking links between sleep habits and more than 170 diseases. Credit: Shutterstock

A major international study published in Health Data Science has revealed strong links between sleep patterns and the development of 172 different diseases. By examining objective sleep data from 88,461 adults in the UK Biobank, researchers uncovered compelling evidence that consistent sleep routines, including stable bedtimes and circadian rhythms, play a much larger role in long-term health than previously thought.

The research, led by scientists from Peking University and Army Medical University, tracked participants using actigraphy over an average of 6.8 years. The findings showed that poor sleep habits contributed to more than 20 percent of the risk for 92 diseases.

Among the most striking results, going to bed after 12:30 a.m. (irregular bedtime) was associated with a 2.57 times greater risk of developing liver cirrhosis. Additionally, low interdaily stability, a sign of disrupted sleep-wake cycles, was linked to a 2.61 times higher risk of gangrene.

The six circular icons at the top represent sleep traits: nocturnal sleep duration and onset timing, relative amplitude, inter-daily stability, sleep efficiency, and waking numbers. The icons surrounding human body display diseases of different systems. The number next to the icons represents the percentages of disease types related to sleep accounted for the whole types of disease in the very system. The study identified 172 diseases correlated with sleep traits. For these diseases, an average of 23.01% of disease burden can be attributed to sleep traits. Credit: Wang Shengfeng (Peking University)

Rethinking Long Sleep: Myth vs. Reality

Importantly, the study challenges previous claims that “long sleep” (≥9 hours) is harmful. While subjective reports have linked long sleep to stroke and heart disease, objective data revealed this association in only one disease. Misclassification may be to blame: 21.67% of “long sleepers” actually slept less than 6 hours, suggesting that time spent in bed is often confused with actual sleep time.

“Our findings underscore the overlooked importance of sleep regularity,” said Prof. Shengfeng Wang, senior author of the study. “It’s time we broaden our definition of good sleep beyond just duration.”

The team confirmed several associations in U.S. populations and identified inflammatory pathways as a possible biological link. Future research will explore causality and assess the impact of sleep interventions on chronic disease outcomes.

Reference: “Phenome-wide Analysis of Diseases in Relation to Objectively Measured Sleep Traits and Comparison with Subjective Sleep Traits in 88,461 Adults” by Yimeng Wang, Qiaorui Wen, Siwen Luo, Lijuan Tang, Siyan Zhan, Jia Cao, Shengfeng Wang and Qing Chen, 3 June 2025, Health Data Science.

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