Anyone who knows me, knows that I’m a BIG fan of sleeping. I claim I come by it honestly, as my 92-year-old grandfather still sleeps until 9am when he can — completely unheard of in the senior community. My grandmother did as well. They were teased for it endlessly by their friends, who were always up at 4 or 5 am.
The National Cancer Institute recently released a study that indicates there is increased risk of cancer among those who exercise but GET LESS THAN 7 HOURS OF SLEEP per night.
Among 4,033 women younger than 65 who had at least 20 hours of physical activity per week, those who slept less than seven hours nightly had a 47% higher risk of developing cancer (95% CI 5% to 105%) within the next 10 years, reported James J. McClain, Ph.D., of the National Cancer Institute.
They go on to hypothesize that it has something to do with inflammation or DNA damage, but LOTS more research is required. In the meantime, I fully intend to use this study to validate my weekend sleep-ins.
About Jen Waak