How Sleep Can Battle Cancer

By David Bjerklie

A good night's sleep is right up there with chicken soup as a cure-all. But can it help someone beat cancer? A growing body of research suggests it might, according to an article in the current issue of Brain, Behavior and Immunity. Stanford University's Dr. David Spiegel and his colleagues point to studies showing that shift workers have higher rates of breast cancer than women who sleep normal hours. Two possible culprits are the hormones melatonin and cortisol. Melatonin is an antioxidant that mops up damaging free radicals, but the body produces less of it when sleep cycles are disrupted. Cortisol, which helps regulate the immune system, may also be compromised by troubled sleep. Says Spiegel: "Cancer might be something to lose sleep over, but we'd rather help people regain the sleep and lose the cancer." --By David Bjerklie