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Poor quality and quantity of sleep may put you at greater risk for developing asthma, according to a new study.
Previous research has shown that asthma tends to lead to sleep issues, but the researchers wanted to know if the association worked the other way – that is, if the way a person slept affected their possibility of developing asthma, said the study, published Monday in the journal BMJ Open Respiratory Research.
“We always knew there was some relationship between asthma and sleep but most of the work was done on the presence of obstructive sleep apnea,” said pediatric allergist Dr. Amal Assa’ad, associate director of the Division of Allergy and Immunology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. He was not involved in the most recent study.
To investigate, researchers looked at data from a cohort from 2006 to 2010 of more than 450,000 people in UK Biobank, a large biomedical database and research resource that follows residents over a long period of time. The people studied ranged in age from 38 to 73 years old, the report said.
During a 10-year follow-up, nearly 18,000 people in the research were diagnosed with asthma, according to the study. Analysis of the data showed that people with both a genetic predisposition and poor sleep habits were twice as likely to develop asthma than people in a low-risk group.
Generally, having a genetic predisposition puts you at a 25% to 30% greater risk of developing asthma, says Dr. Juanita Mora, a Chicago-based allergist/immunologist and national spokesperson for the American Lung Association. He was not involved in the research.
There’s good news: Healthy sleep patterns have been shown to be associated with a lower risk of asthma regardless of genetic susceptibility, the study said.
People with high-risk genes and good sleep patterns have a slightly lower risk of developing asthma than people with low genetic risk and bad sleep patterns, the authors added.
By monitoring and treating sleep conditions, health professionals can also reduce the development of asthma, the study authors wrote. If sleep characteristics were improved, 19% of asthma cases could be prevented, according to research.
This finding also points to a greater need for doctors and nurses to talk to their patients with asthma about their sleep habits to see if their behavior worsens symptoms, Mora added. .
![Sleeping well can also help reduce the risk of asthma, studies show.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/230403155624-sleep-asthma-wellness-stock.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_720,w_1280,c_fill)
The key to understanding this study is understanding the interplay between genetics and behavior, Assa’ad said.
Researchers are looking at all the small changes in DNA that could put a person at greater risk for developing asthma, he added. Those markers and genetic risk become a person’s so-called polygenic risk score.
But most people don’t know their genetic score for how susceptible they are to developing asthma and instead only know how severe their symptoms are, Assa’ad said.
What people can do is track their triggers and aggravating factors — of which sleep seems to be one of many — to get optimal control of their asthma, Mora said.
The results may emphasize the importance of good sleep hygiene for everyone, regardless of their asthma genetics, he added.
Inflammation may be behind why sleep is so important in managing or preventing asthma, according to the study.
Asthma is generally considered a chronic inflammatory disease, the study said. Previous research has shown that problems with sleep duration and insomnia are associated with chronic inflammation.
Sleep disorders are also associated with chronic activation of the stress response, parts of which are key to the development of asthma, the study said.
Adults need at least seven hours of sleep a night, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
For many people, that doesn’t happen – 1 in 3 Americans have a lack of sleep, According to the CDC.
But quantity isn’t the only thing you should focus on — quality is important, too.
“Signs of poor sleep quality include not feeling rested even after getting enough sleep, waking repeatedly at night, and experiencing symptoms of sleeping sickness (such as snoring or gasping for air),” says the CDC.
That’s where good sleep hygiene (or habits) come into play.
The CDC recommends going to bed and waking up at the same time, keeping the bedroom comfortable and dark, and avoiding electronics before bed.
A comfortable room usually means cool — about 60 to 67 degrees Fahrenheit (15 to 20 degrees Celsius), according to a 2021 CNN story.
A routine to get you ready for bed isn’t just for kids who need a bath and book before bed. Stopping familiar activities is a great way to signal to brains of all ages that it’s time to rest, pediatric sleep expert Ariel Williamson, a psychologist at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, told CNN on early this year.
You should also avoid large meals, caffeine and alcohol too close to bedtime and be active during the day for better sleep.
If none of those changes improve your sleep, it may be time to see a doctor, experts say.