Scientists recognize that sleep habits may be associated with various diseases; however, most research relies on individuals’ self-reports, which can be subject to inaccuracies.
A new study used wearable devices to measure sleep patterns more precisely, then examined how these patterns relate to diseases across various parts of the body. The goal? To see if using these objective sleep measurements reveals different health risks compared to what’s found using self-reported sleep data.
An international study tracked the sleep patterns of over 88,000 adults using wearable devices for nearly 7 years. It found strong links between irregular sleep habits and 172 diseases. About half of those conditions had more than 20% of their risk connected to poor sleep.
Going to bed late and inconsistently (after 12:30 AM) was tied to over 2.5 times higher risk of liver disease. Also, having an unstable daily rhythm increased the risk of gangrene by 2.6 times.
Past studies have suggested that sleeping 9 hours or more could increase disease risk. However, this new research, utilizing real sleep tracking, discovered a link to just one disease. A major reason? About 1 in 5 “long sleepers” were short sleepers. They spent a lot of time in bed but didn’t sleep much, which contradicted earlier results.
So, it’s not just about how long you’re in bed; what matters more is the quality and regularity of your actual sleep.
“Our findings underscore the overlooked importance of sleep regularity,” said Prof. Shengfeng Wang, senior author of the study. “It’s time we broaden our definition of good sleep beyond just duration.”
This study is connecting some key dots. It confirmed correlations between sleep patterns and the risks of chronic diseases in U.S. populations. Inflammation is spotlighted as a potential biological link, suggesting that poor sleep might trigger immune responses that contribute to illness.
Researchers aim to explore cause-and-effect relationships and test whether targeted sleep improvements can reduce disease risks over time.
This could be a game-changer in how we treat or even prevent conditions like diabetes, heart disease, or depression, not just through medication, but by optimizing how we sleep.
Journal Reference
- Yimeng Wang, Qiaorui Wen, Siwen Luo, Lijuan Tang, Siyan Zhan, Jia Cao, Shengfeng Wang, Qing Chen. Phenome-wide Analysis of Diseases in Relation to Objectively Measured Sleep Traits and Comparison with Subjective Sleep Traits in 88,461 Adults. Health Data Sci. 2025;5:0161. DOI:10.34133/hds.0161
