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

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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.

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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

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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.

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