Lack of sleep could damage DNA and affect repair ability, possibly raising cancer risk, University of Hong Kong study finds
- Research conducted on doctors who worked long, overnight shifts, and results may apply to those in other jobs with similar working patterns
- Adults aged between 18 and 60 need at least seven hours of sleep per night
Sleep deprivation can damage DNA and the body’s ability to repair this, possibly leading to higher chances of genetic diseases such as cancer, a study has found.
The University of Hong Kong research, which looked into the effects of sleep deprivation on local doctors, found that those who needed to work overnight shifts had a higher level of damage in their DNA, as well as lower levels of gene activity associated with DNA repair.
The study was among the first to examine such effects on humans, particularly on younger adults.
“This is a very preliminary study, but [there is] an indication that sleep disruption is not good for you, and not good for your genes,” said Dr Gordon Wong Tin-chun, co-author of the study and an associate professor at HKU’s department of anaesthesiology.
DNA damage means a change in the basic structure of genetic instructions for cell growth and functions in organisms, and this alteration is not repaired when the molecule is replicated.