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Long, short sleep durations associated with increased risk for UC
Short and long durations of sleep were associated with an increased risk for ulcerative colitis, but not Crohn’s disease in a study that assessed sleep behaviors with inflammatory bowel disease.
The prospective study included 151,871 women who were enrolled in the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) I since 1976 and NHS II since 1989, all of whom were followed through biennial questionnaires with follow-up rates exceeding 90%. The researchers evaluated self-reported sleep duration data and its association with incident Crohn’s disease (CD; n=191) and ulcerative colitis (UC; n=230) diagnoses. Adjustments were made for potential confounding variables, including aspirin and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, BMI, depressive symptoms, hormone therapy menopausal status, physical activity, smoking, use of oral contraceptives, and vitamin D and fiber intake.
Women with short sleep duration (≤6 hours) had an increased incidence of UC compared with those who had normal sleep (7-8 hours; 11 per 100,000 person-years vs. 8 per 100,000 person-years, respectively; HR=1.51; 95% CI, 1.10-2.09). Women with long sleep duration (≥9 hours) also displayed an increased incidence of UC compared with normal sleep duration patients (20 per 100,000 person-years; HR=2.05; 95% CI, 1.44-2.92).
An even stronger association between short (HR=1.72; 95% CI, 1.13-2.62) and long (HR=2.72; 95% CI, 1.65-4.48) sleep duration and UC incidence was observed among ever smokers. Conversely, neither short (HR=0.9; 95% CI, 0.63-1.28) nor long (HR=1.16; 95% CI, 0.73-1.83) sleep duration affected the risk for CD.
The findings “demonstrate a ‘U-shaped’ relationship between sleep duration and risk of UC,” the researchers concluded, and “suggest the possibility that modification of sleep habits may influence risk of subsequent disease among individuals at risk for UC or maintaining quiescence among those with established disease.”
Disclosure: See the study for a full list of relevant financial disclosures.