Keywords
insomnia - cancer - risk of cancer
Introduction: Insomnia, marked by ongoing trouble with falling asleep or staying asleep, has been
progressively associated with several health problems, including cancer. Studies suggest
that long-term insomnia can interfere with the body's circadian rhythms and immune
function, which might elevate the risk of developing cancer.
Objective: Insomnia can predict a high risk of cancer.
Methods: Cochrane, Embase and PubMed databases were searched for studies comparing people
suffering from insomnia to non-insomnia people in the context of risk of cancer. A
Random-effects model was employed to compute the Hazard Ratios (HR) with 95% Confidence
Intervals (CI). Statistical Analyses were performed utilizing ReviewManager (RevMan)
5.4.1.
Results: A total of 7 studies were included, comprising 4,797,161 patients; 2,448,045 (51%)
were males and 2,349,116 (49%) were females. The results indicated a higher risk of
cancer in people suffering from insomnia (HR 1.17; 95% CI 1.02-1.35; p = 0.03; I2 = 92%). However, in the subgroup analysis with only Prospective Cohort, there was
no statistical significance (HR 1.17; 95% CI 0.96-1.44; p = 0.13; I2 = 77%). There were no significant statistical differences in the sex analyses: male
(HR 1.26; 95% CI 0.96-1.65; p = 0.09; I2 = 89%) and female (HR 1.15; 95% CI 1.00-1.31; p = 0.05; I2 = 91%).
Conclusion: In this meta-analysis of 7 studies, insomnia is directly associated with the risk
of developing cancer. Thus, practicing sleep hygiene is crucial for overall health
and wellness, which entails implementing habits that support regular, restful and
rejuvenating sleep.
