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Irregular Sleep Linked to Risk of 172 Diseases: Large New Study
Last reviewed: 03.08.2025
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An international team of scientists published a groundbreaking study in the journal Health Data Science, in which they analyzed objective sleep data from 88,461 adult participants in the UK Biobank project. The results showed a significant link between sleep patterns and 172 diseases, including liver cirrhosis, gangrene and cardiovascular disease.
The study was led by teams from Peking University and the People's Liberation Army Medical University of China. What makes the work unique is its use of objective data: instead of questionnaires, actographs, wearable devices that track activity and sleep over an average of 6.8 years, were used.
Key results:
- 92 diseases showed that more than 20% of the risk of their development is associated with sleep disorders.
- People who regularly went to bed after 00:30 had a 2.57 times higher risk of liver cirrhosis.
- Low stability of circadian rhythms (inconsistency of bedtime and wake-up times) increased the risk of gangrene by 2.61 times.
- Chronic sleep irregularity has been associated with an increased risk of multiple inflammatory, metabolic, and cardiovascular diseases.
The myth of the "long sleep" is debunked
It was previously believed that sleeping more than 9 hours increases the risk of stroke and heart disease. However:
- Objective data showed such a connection with only one disease.
- It was found that 21.67% of people who considered themselves "long sleepers" actually slept less than 6 hours - they simply spent longer in bed.
- This highlights misconceptions associated with self-reported sleep and raises questions about the accuracy of previous studies.
Possible mechanisms
The researchers suggest that chronic sleep rhythm disturbances activate inflammatory pathways that play a key role in the pathogenesis of many chronic diseases. These findings have been confirmed in independent samples from the United States.
Lead author's comment:
"Our study highlights the underestimated role of sleep regularity. It is time to broaden our understanding of quality sleep - it is not only its duration, but also the stability of biorhythms,"
said Professor Shengfeng Wang, senior author of the study.
What's next?
The authors plan to:
- To study the cause-and-effect relationships between sleep disorders and diseases.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of interventions aimed at improving sleep regularity.
- Develop recommendations for the prevention of chronic diseases through normalization of sleep.
This study raises the question of reconsidering sleep standards in medicine. Regular bedtimes and coordinated circadian rhythms may become new keys to preventing more than 170 diseases.