Poor Sleep During Adolescence May Increase Multiple Sclerosis Risk

Researchers in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry conducted a Swedish population-based case-control study determining that insufficient or poor sleep may increase the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS). Data for the study was collected from the Epidemiological Investigation of Multiple Sclerosis, which included Swedish patients between 16 and 70 from April 2005 to March 2013. Each participant was required to answer lifestyle questions about sleep habits.

The researchers separated sleep into three categories to start: sufficient sleep, long sleep, and short sleep. Sufficient sleep was defined as 7–9 hours per night, while insufficient sleep — also called short sleep — was anything less than seven hours per night. Long sleep was anything over ten hours of sleep per night. They also quantified sleep quality and additional factors.

Approximately 2,075 participants with MS onset and 3,164 control cases were included in the final analyses. Researchers noted that the average age of MS onset was 34.8 years old. According to the study, the risk of developing MS was 40% higher for those who had a short sleep during adolescence than those who got an average of 7–9 hours per night. Conversely, long sleep showed no direct correlation with the risk of developing MS.

Sleep quality also significantly impacts the risk of developing MS. The publication notes that low sleep quality —a ranking of three or lower on a five-grade scale — correlated with a 50% higher risk of developing MS in adulthood. Overall, the study determined that sufficient, high-quality sleep reduced the risk of developing MS later in life.

“Insufficient sleep and low sleep quality during adolescence seem to increase the risk of subsequently developing MS. Sufficient restorative sleep at a young age, needed for adequate immune functioning, may be a preventive factor against MS,” stated the investigators in the publication.

Approximately 2.5 million people worldwide live with MS. Healthline notes that each week, clinicians in the United States diagnose roughly 200 new cases. Considering the prevalence of this condition and the lifestyle disruptions it causes, understanding the risk factors that can contribute to developing it may help inform future research and preventative care strategies.