Lungs face threats from pollution and smoking, and new research suggests sleep duration matters too. A study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals that sleeping too much or too little may increase the risk of lung damage.
Researchers from the University of Manchester, UK, analyzed genomic data from nearly 500,000 British residents. Building on prior findings in rodents—where disrupted biological clocks heightened pulmonary fibrosis risk (a condition causing chronic breathlessness)—the team confirmed similar patterns in humans.
After accounting for factors like BMI, smoking, age, and gender, those sleeping 4 hours or less nightly were twice as likely to develop pulmonary fibrosis, while those getting 11 hours or more faced triple the risk compared to the 7-hour reference group. Night shift work emerged as another potential risk factor.
Dr. John Blaikley, lead researcher, noted: "Pulmonary fibrosis is a devastating disease with no cure. Identifying the biological clock's role could unlock new treatments and prevention strategies."
While research advances, explore tips to optimize your sleep here—we spend about 25 years of our lives asleep, after all.
