People with higher levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in their blood have poor sleep quality.
- High combined levels of PFAS, specifically four perennial chemicals (PFDA, PFHxS, PFOA, and PFOS), are correlated with shorter, poorer quality sleep in young adults.
- Researchers identified potential mediating roles for several proteins in the associations between PFAS and sleep, including HSD11B1, cathepsin B, and several immune-related proteins.
- “In the long term, poor sleep has been linked to neurological and behavioral problems, type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease.”
Paper packaging, cosmetics, rain gear, electronic cables… Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, are omnipresent in our environment due to their high persistence. Problem: the latter, which are a large family of more than 4,000 chemical compounds, have deleterious effects on human beings. Indeed, the Coves recalls that work shows a link between these “eternal pollutants” and an increased risk of cancer, an increase in cholesterol levels, problems with fetal development, fertility, the liver or even the kidneys.
4 PFAS are linked to shorter, poorer quality sleep
“Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination can disrupt sleep due to disruption of metabolic and immune functions,” said American researchers. To learn more about the association and potential mechanism between PFAS and sleep, they decided to conduct a study, the results of which were published in the journal Environmental Advances. To carry out the research, the team recruited 136 young adults, aged 19 to 24, between 2014 and 2018 and 76 were reassessed between 2020 and 2022. To measure the levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in their blood, participants provided blood samples on two occasions years apart. Additionally, they answered questions about their sleep.
According to the results, of the seven types of PFAS examined, four were significantly associated with shorter duration or poorer quality of sleep: PFDA, PFHxS, PFOA and PFOS. For the first three pollutants cited, young adults whose blood concentrations were in the highest third slept on average about 80 minutes less per night than those in the lowest third. For PFOS, high blood concentrations were significantly related to self-reported problems falling asleep, staying asleep, waking up, or feeling tired during waking hours.
7 genes activated by PFAS disrupt sleep in young adults
From this data, the authors examined the overlap between genes affected by the four eternal chemicals and genes linked to sleep disorders. Using the volunteers’ blood samples, they profiled a panel of proteins. Of more than 600 genes analyzed, seven activated by PFAS appeared to influence sleep.
One important factor was an immune gene called “HSD11B1.” According to scientists, it helps produce the hormone cortisol, which plays an important role in regulating the rhythm of sleep and wakefulness. “If expression of the protein encoded by HSD11B1 is disrupted, this means that cortisol levels could also be disrupted. This, in turn, affects sleep,” declared Shiwen Lilead author of the study. Another gene apparently important in the impact of PFAS on sleep, cathepsin B, is linked to cognitive function and memory. “The resulting enzyme is a precursor to beta-amyloid proteins, which are found in the brain plaques of Alzheimer’s disease patients. High levels of the enzyme have been linked to cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease. ‘Alzheimer’s, which has its own links to sleep deficits.
“Since the body needs sleep every day, if PFAS interferes with your sleep, it may affect you more immediately than other chronic health conditions. In the long term, poor sleep has been linked to problems neurological and behavioral disorders, type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease”, Shiwen Li concluded.
