More REM sleep linked to lower disease risk
A study of 95,559 Britons found links with 83 conditions, but proves no cause and effect.
People with relatively more REM sleep had a lower risk of 83 conditions in a large cohort study. The researchers stress that the study does not show that extra REM sleep prevents disease: it shows associations in existing data, not proven causation.
The study, published in the freely accessible journal PLOS Medicine, analysed data from 95,559 participants in the UK Biobank. The participants wore a wrist monitor for seven days and nights, which was used to estimate movement patterns and sleep stages.
The researchers compared participants with different sleep characteristics and tracked which diagnoses were later recorded in their available health records. A difference of 47.6 minutes in REM sleep — the so-called interquartile range — was associated with lower risks of 83 diseases across twelve categories.
The associations were visible, among other conditions, for heart failure, dementia, atrial fibrillation and parkinsonism. For heart failure, the study reported a hazard ratio of 0.74, for dementia 0.54 and for parkinsonism 0.20. These are statistical associations within this study group, not predictions for an individual.
Other sleep characteristics were also examined. More deep sleep was associated with a lower risk of seven conditions. Longer total sleep duration was associated with a lower risk of fifty conditions. Sleeping for less than five hours was instead associated with higher risks of several diseases.
The measurement method has limitations. Wrist monitors estimate sleep stages indirectly; they do not replace sleep studies involving brain measurements. Moreover, an association may be influenced by age, health, medication use, lifestyle or other factors that cannot be fully ruled out in observational data.
The study therefore mainly provides an indication for further research into sleep quality and health. The results do not provide a basis for changing sleep medication, lifestyle or treatment oneself. Anyone concerned about sleep or health should consult a doctor or another healthcare professional.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The study data, numbers and reported associations were checked directly against the PLOS article. The text makes clear that these are observational associations and does not provide medical advice.
- confirmed The study analysed 95,559 participants. — Number stated in the study and its summary. source
- confirmed More REM sleep was associated with a lower risk of 83 conditions. — Main finding of the PLOS article. source
- confirmed A difference of 47.6 minutes is the interquartile range for REM sleep. — Stated in the study's results. source
- confirmed The study does not prove that more REM sleep prevents disease. — This follows from the observational study design and is explained as a methodological limitation. source
Editor's note
This is peer-reviewed, observational research. The main uncertainties concern the indirect measurement of sleep and the lack of evidence for cause and effect.Sources
More on this in Dutch media
- AD — „slaap remslaap”
- de Volkskrant — „slaap remslaap”
- RTL Nieuws — „slaap remslaap”