Men who have trouble sleeping might be at greater risk for developing advanced prostate cancer, according to a study of more than 900 Icelandic men. The men gave urine samples at the beginning of the study in 2002 and answered questions about their sleep habits. Those with above-average levels of melatonin in their urine were 75 percent less likely to be diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer during the study, which ended in 2009.
Melatonin levels were lower in men who had trouble sleeping or who took sleeping pills. One in seven reported difficulty falling asleep, one in five couldn’t get back to sleep after waking at night, and one in three took sleep aids. Maintaining a stable sleep-wake cycle could be one way that men might reduce their risk for the most dangerous form of prostate cancer, but more research is needed to figure out how to do this without sleeping pills.
[AACR-Prostate Cancer Foundation Conference, San Diego, CA, Jan. 19, 2014]
Insomnia can be a very difficult problem. We offer some approaches that may be helpful in our Guide to Getting a Good Night’s Sleep.
