The nights are often of poorer quality and shorter for cancer patients. Unfortunately, insomnia would be an aggravating factor in the risk of infection for these patients. It would increase by 31% the probability that a patient is affected by diseases such as a cold, flu, urinary tract infection, gastroenteritis or even a herpes outbreak.
Restful sleep would protect cancer patients from infections
As insomnia affects 59% of patients with Cancer, researchers from the School of Psychology and the Research Center of the CHU de Québec (Canada) wanted to understand whether this sleep disorder had an effect on the health of patients. They studied the immune systems of 962 people with cancer and their level of insomnia.
For 18 months, study participants told researchers about the quality of their sleep and the number of infections they had contracted.
The results of the study reveal that 80% of the volunteers were affected by an infection. And that the risk of being contaminated increased by 31% when the patients slept badly. A real problem for these people whose immune system is already weakened by chemotherapy. To reach these conclusions, the researchers took into account other factors that can influence the rate of infection, such as the type of cancer, lifestyle, age and profession.
“In people treated for cancer, insomnia is associated with a higher risk of infection,” explains Josée Savard, professor of psychology at the School of Psychology and the Research Center of the CHU de Québec and co-author of the study. “This finding suggests that we could reduce the risk of infection in people being treated for cancer by helping those who suffer from insomnia to get back to good sleep”.
Read also:
Sleep: foods to avoid to sleep well
Infographic: what lack of sleep does to your body
Insomnia: 5 reasons that prevent you from falling asleep
