How Poor Sleep Sabotages Your Genes

Your lack of ZZZ's is harming your health. Poor sleep can increase your risk for several deadly diseases, according to a new British study.

Researchers subjected 26 people to a full week of “insufficient” sleep, defined as less than 6 hours a night. After 7 days, the researchers collected the participants' blood samples and looked for genetic changes. Then, the study team repeated the experiment for a second week—only this time they allowed the sleepers a full 8 hours or more of snoozing a night.

Here's what the researchers discovered: Too little sleep cranks up or slows down the activity of more than 700 genes, including many involved with your body’s immune system, damage-repair functions, and stress-reduction abilities.

Past studies have found that too little sleep can increase your risk for everything from obesity to heart disease and diabetes. And the newfound genetic imbalances may explain why, says study author Colin Smith, Ph.D., a professor of functional genomics at the University of Surrey.

Your genes control the production of cell-building and cell-repairing proteins. But when those genes are sleep-deprived, they over- or under-produce, causing cellular changes in your blood, the study explains. And since your blood affects everything from brain health to inflammation, those cellular changes are likely to blame for the known spikes in disease risk, the study says.

Roughly 30 percent of Americans sleep less than 6 hours a night, Smith explains. You don't need us to tell you that's bad, but here’s the bright side: Regularly sleeping 8-plus hours appears to reverse much of the genetic damage, Smith says, citing the second week of his team’s research.

How can you help yourself get 8 hours of sleep tonight? Smith recommends avoiding alcohol before bed, which has been shown to disrupt sleep patterns. He also cautions against watching television or looking at computers or other devices prior to hitting the hay. Studies have shown these digital light sources can keep you up at night and increase depressive symptoms, Smith explains.

If you liked this story, you'll love these:

    Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
    More From Sleep