Studies have found that too little sleep can increase the risk of conditions like diabetes and obesity. Now research reports that sleeping too much can increase the risk of Parkinson's Disease. Parkinson's disease is a degenerative brain disease that is caused by nerve cell degeneration in the region of the brain that controls voluntary movement. The symptoms include tremors, a shuffling walk, muscle stiffness, stooped posture, and a mask-like, expressionless face.
The study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, investigated whether working rotating night shifts or sleep length were associated with the risk of Parkinson's Disease. Researchers at the U.S. National Institutes of Health analyzed the sleep length and frequency of working night shifts of 84,794 female nurses. The nurses were free of Parkinson's Disease at the beginning of the study and participated in the Nurses' Health Study from 1988 to 2000. The participants completed a detailed questionnaire every two years including their sleep habits, work shifts, weight, smoking and dietary habits. During the course of the study, 181 participants developed Parkinson's.
Researchers found that participants with 15 years or more of night shift work had a 50 percent lower risk of Parkinson's disease, compared with those who always worked days. Findings also revealed that longer durations of sleep were associated with a higher risk of developing Parkinson's. Participants who slept nine hours a night or more had an 80 percent higher risk of developing Parkinson's, while those who slept six hours or less increased it by only 10 percent.
The researcher suggest that the need for too much sleep may be an early symptom of Parkinson's. "These data suggest that working night shifts may be protective against Parkinson's disease or that low tolerance for night shift work is an early marker of Parkinson's disease," the study authors conclude. "Conversely, habitual longer sleep duration may be an earlier marker of Parkinson's disease."
REFERENCES:
1. Chen H et al. Prospective Study of Night Shift Work, Sleep Duration, and Risk of Parkinson's Disease. American Journal of Epidemiology 2006 163(8):726-730.
Posted by Elaine Gavalas on September 5, 2006 02:28 PM
