Study shows poor sleep may worsen fatty liver disease

While a good night’s sleep is known to be crucial for overall health, a new study showed it can also prevent cirrhosis among individuals with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Cirrhosis occurs when the liver is damaged for over a long duration and is replaced by scar tissue. The scarring prevents the liver from working properly, and can eventually lead to liver failure

The study led by researchers from the Huazhong University of Science and Technology in China showed an association between a healthy sleep pattern and a decreased risk of cirrhosis among NAFLD patients.

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The study on 112,196 NAFLD patients found that poor sleep patterns were associated with an increased risk of progression to cirrhosis.

The benefits of good sleep were observed in participants, regardless of low or high genetic risk, according to the journal Hepatology International.

The study provides “more evidence that sleep is really underrated,” said Dr Abby Phillips, popularly known as LiverDoc, on social media platform X.

“You can’t change your genetic profile and neither can everyone check their genetic profile. But what can be done is get some good sleep every night,” he advised.

The human body requires an optimum sleep duration of 7-8 hours per night.

“Having a good night's sleep (at least 7-8 hours) has innumerable benefits on liver health and this is something not many are aware of,” Phillips said.

Poor sleep is also known to be harmful to health and can lead to problems with memory and focus. It can also raise the risk of headaches, anxiety, and stress.

Another recent study, published in the journal Sleep shows that sleeping late may also raise the risk of early-onset type 2 diabetes.

In the study, people who went to bed after midnight had a 1.46-fold increased risk of developing early-onset diabetes -- under the age of 40.

“Each one hour later in bedtime was associated with a 52 per cent increase in the risk of early-onset diabetes,” the study showed.

Indo-Asian News Service