Chemo patients need more sleep, but quality doesn’t change

Women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer seem to require more sleep during treatments, a new study reports. However, the quality of their sleep stays the same during the procedures. Researchers said most women preparing to undergo chemotherapy already may be sleeping poorly.

The authors of the study observed 97 women with newly diagnosed stage I-III breast cancer. Sleep and fatigue were measured seven different times during three weeks of cycle 1 and cycle 4 chemotherapy. The patients slept longer in the night and napped more by day during the cancer treatment. Researchers suggested additional sleep is needed to cope with fatigue and other side effects of chemotherapy.

The women's quality of sleep did not change during chemo treatments. Researchers said it was likely that the women already experienced poor sleep before their diagnosis, and that the cancer could be causing sleep disturbances. The study appeared in the February edition of the journal SLEEP.

Read more about insomnia due to medical condition and about sleep disorders in women. More blogs about sleep issues particular to women also are available.

Image by Aglie

Short Sleep Adds to Colon Cancer Risk

A new study shows sleeping less than six hours per night may increase your risk to develop a key sign of early colon cancer by about 50 percent. Patients who reported short sleep durations are far more likely to be diagnosed with colorectal adenomas, a precursor to cancer tumors.

The study involved 1,240 patients scheduled for colonoscopies. The screening results found about 350 of the patients had colorectal adenomas.

Prior to the screening, each patient answered questions about sleep habits from the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index. Patients reported their overall sleep quality during the past month, frequency of insomnia and other details related to sleep.

Study results show colorectal adenomas appeared more frequently among patients who said they slept fewer than six hours each night. The findings were adjusted for other risk factors for colon cancer, such as family history, smoking and obesity.

It’s still not known why short sleep duration may increase the risk for colon cancer. The lead author of the study speculates it may be because of the decrease in melatonin production or the increase in insulin resistance from sleep deprivation.

Colon cancer isn’t the only serious health risk related to sleeplessness. Short sleepers have a higher risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Last year a study found men with chronic insomnia have four times the risk of death compared to men who slept more than six hours per night.

The latest findings clearly demonstrate the importance of sleep to your overall health. Do your body a favor and make sleep a health priority, along with diet and exercise.

Yoga can help cancer survivors sleep, study says

Sleepless nights are common for cancer survivors. 30-50 percent of people who battled cancer have symptoms of insomnia months or even years after chemotherapy or radiation treatment.

Yoga may be useful to help cancer survivors get back to sleep, according to a study released by the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

The study involved 410 cancer survivors, mostly women, who were treated in the last two years and have complained of sleep problems for at least two months. 75 percent of the subjects were recovering from breast cancer.

The participants were evenly split into two groups. Half went to low-intensity yoga sessions twice a week. Both groups also received the standard treatment for cancer survivors.

After a month, 31 percent of the cancer survivors who did yoga reported no problems sleeping. Only 16 percent of the control group said they were sleeping soundly.

Yoga participants reported substantially reduced fatigue and daytime sleepiness, along with a 20 percent reduction in sleep medication intake. People in the control group actually increased their use of sleep medications.

Researchers said it’s not clear why sleep problems improved for the yoga participants.

The results support the notion that yoga improves the quality of life for cancer survivors. Many of the top cancer hospitals in the U.S. already have yoga programs.

Hath and restorative yoga classes usually include breathing exercises, meditation and a variety of poses.

With practice, yoga can help reduce the stress that hinders sleep for non-cancer survivors.

Click here for a video demonstrating bedtime yoga moves that can help you sleep.

The AASM recommends cognitive behavioral therapy for breast cancer survivors with insomnia. The therapy helps patients develop habits that promote healthy sleep patterns by changing actions and thoughts that hurt their ability to sleep well.

Learn about insomnia due to medical condition on SleepEducation.com. Get help for a sleep problem at an AASM-accredited sleep center near you.

Image courtesy myyogaonline

Cancer, Chemotherapy & Insomnia

A new study examined the link between insomnia and cancer.

The study involved 823 people with cancer; all of them were receiving chemotherapy. Their average age was 58 years; about 73 percent were women.

Results show a high rate of insomnia in people with cancer. Forty-three percent had insomnia during day seven of cycle 1 of chemotherapy. Another 37 percent reported insomnia symptoms.

“Our research shows that insomnia is very common among patients undergoing cancer treatment,” lead author Oxana Palesh, PhD, said in a news release.

Insomnia persisted during the first two cycles of chemotherapy. Sixty percent of participants reported that their insomnia symptoms remained unchanged from cycle 1 to cycle 2.

People who were younger than 58 years were more likely to have insomnia. Participants with breast cancer had the highest number of overall insomnia complaints. People with insomnia had more depression and fatigue than good sleepers.

“The good news for people with cancer is that there are many effective treatment options that can help,” Palesh said. These include cognitive behavioral therapy and medications.

Earlier this year another study suggested that sleep problems may lead to an increase in pain in people with cancer. Read more about sleep and cancer.

Learn about insomnia due to medical condition on SleepEducation.com. Get help for a sleep problem at an AASM-accredited sleep center near you.

Chemotherapy Causes Sleep Problems in Breast Cancer Patients

A study published this week in the journal Sleep shows that chemotherapy for Breast Cancer, a disease with which approximately 210,000 women are diagnosed each year, impairs sleep-wake cycles in patients. Sleep disturbances can negatively affect treatment and increase risks for other health and mental problems.

Results indicate that chemotherapy patients switched from low to high activity about 30 minutes later in the day and decreased their level of activity about 50 minutes earlier at night during their first round of chemotherapy, suggesting that their days were shorter.

The study involved 95 women with an average age of 51 years, who were scheduled to receive chemotherapy for stage I-III Breast Cancer. Of the participants, 75 percent were Caucasian, 69 percent were married, 77 percent had at least some college education, and 73 percent reported an annual income of more than $30,000.

“Our biological clock, or (24-hour cycles) help keep our bodies in sync with the environment. During chemotherapy, our biological clock, or circadian rhythm gets out of sync, especially after the first cycle of treatment. The clock seems to regulate itself after only one cycle, but with repeated administration of chemotherapy, it becomes more difficult for the biological clock to readjust,” study author Dr. Sonia Ancoli-Israel told the AASM.

Sleep disturbances are common in cancer patients, with 30 percent to 50 percent reporting symptoms of insomnia. The authors state that it is important to screen more routinely for sleep disruptions in Breast Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and to offer treatment, such as cognitive behavioral therapy or bright light therapy, to prevent sleep disturbances from becoming chronic.

According to the AASM, studies show that cognitive behavioral therapy helps both women with breast cancer and breast-cancer survivors. It helps patients develop habits that promote healthy sleep patterns by changing actions and thoughts that hurt their ability to sleep well.

Sleep Problems Increase Cancer Pain

A new study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine shows that sleep problems may lead to increased pain and fatigue in cancer patients.

Previous research has shown that sleep problems are common in people who have cancer. A 2007 study in the journal Sleep found that 41 percent of people with cancer reported having chronic insomnia.

So why are the results of this new study surprising? It was expected that pain would be a cause of sleep problems. But instead the evidence pointed in the other direction; the study found that sleep problems may lead to an increase in pain.

“We believed we would find a bi-directional relationship between insomnia and pain,” study author Edward J. Stepanski told the AASM. “But instead…trouble sleeping was more likely a cause, rather than a consequence, of pain in patients with cancer.”

The study involved 11,445 cancer patients. About 74 percent were women; 29 percent had breast cancer. More than half of the study subjects reported having trouble sleeping; 26 percent had moderate or severe sleep problems. Increases in depressed mood also led to increased ratings of pain.

The average age of participants was 61.5 years. Younger people were more likely to have trouble sleeping. The authors suggest that this may be a treatment effect since younger patients often receive more aggressive chemotherapy.

Stepanski said that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can help cancer patients who have insomnia. Improving their sleep may reduce their pain and fatigue.

A 2007 study in the journal Sleep showed that disturbed sleep can affect your pain threshold. It can impair how the body inhibits pain. It also can increase spontaneous pain.

Women, Shift Work and Breast Cancer

BBC News reports that some women in Denmark who developed breast cancer after years of working night shifts are receiving compensation from the government.

Is there a clear link between shift work and breast cancer?

A 2008 review found only limited evidence. Yet there was enough data to convince the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

The IARC convened a working group in 2007. It was composed of 24 scientists from 10 countries. The experts reviewed all of the research.

They concluded that working night shifts is “probably carcinogenic to humans.” This means that shift work may be a factor “that can increase the risk of human cancer.”

The report was the basis for the Danish government’s compensation program. So far almost 40 women have received payment through the program.

How might night shifts promote breast cancer?

The exact mechanism is unclear. But it may be related to how shift work disrupts the “circadian rhythms” that are controlled by the body clock in your brain. This internal timing system regulates the daily cycle of various body functions.

It controls your body temperature and hormone levels. It also regulates your alertness.

One way the body promotes sleepiness is by producing more melatonin at night. This acts as a “sleep signal” for your body.

But light exposure during night shifts suppresses melatonin production and disrupts your sleep/wake cycle. These disruptions may promote the growth of cancerous tumors.

Get sleep tips for shift workers from the AASM.

What Disease is the #1 Killer of Women?

Did you guess cancer? You’re close, but wrong. Diabetes? You’re getting colder. The answer: In the U.S. heart disease is the leading cause of death for women. Surprised?

Don’t feel bad if you got the answer wrong; you’re not alone. The NHLBI reports that 35 percent of women are unaware that heart disease is the leading killer of women.

February is American Heart Month. So now is the perfect time to think about your own heart health.

Using 2004 data the CDC reports that 27.2 percent of deaths among women are due to heart disease. Cancer comes in second place at 22 percent. Stroke is third at 7.5 percent, and diabetes is seventh at 7.1 percent.

The raw numbers are even more striking. In 2005 heart disease took the lives of 329,250 women – more women than men. Cancer deaths: 268,890 women – including 69,105 due to lung cancer and 41,116 due to breast cancer.

The CDC also reports that heart disease affects large numbers of younger women: It is the third-leading cause of death for women between the ages of 25 and 44.

Risk factors for heart disease include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and smoking. You also have a higher risk if you are overweight or obese.

Another risk factor for heart disease that often is overlooked is obstructive sleep apnea. But sleep apnea and snoring are just for men, right? Wrong.

Sleep apnea is common in women; but women are less likely than men to receive medical help for it.

Warning signs for sleep apnea include pauses in breathing, loud and erratic snoring, and gasping for breath during sleep. Women with sleep apnea also are likely to complain of restless sleep, daytime sleepiness, insomnia and even depression.

Are you at risk for sleep apnea? Complete this online questionnaire to find out.