Lack of sleep disrupts 700 genes, says study

One week of bad sleep can disrupt up to 700 genes that can lead to increased risk of heart disease and obesity.

14:27 28 February 2013

We all know that lack of sleep affects our live stremendously. Getting less than six hours sleep per night can affect our moods, as well as decrease our efficiency at work and school. 

However, a recent study has found that a lack of sleep can do more damage. Scientists confirm that just one week of poor sleep can disrupt hundreds of different genes and this can lead to obesity, heart ailments, and mental impairment. 

 

The study was conducted by scientists from the University of Surrey led by sleep expert Professor Derk-Jan Dijk and it was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 

 

It concludes that sleep is a pillar of health like diet and exercise. The conclusion reads, as quoted by the Mail Online: “Insufficient sleep is increasingly recognised as contributing to a wide range of health problems.

 

“Multiple studies have shown self-reported short sleep duration - defined in most studies as less than six hours - is associated with negative health outcomes such as all-cause mortality, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and impaired vigilance and cognition.”