We all know sleep is good for our brains, but did you know it’s also essential for our bones, ladies?
A new study out of the University of Buffalo in the US has shown that getting five of fewer hours of sleep a night is linked to low bone mineral density and higher chances of osteoporosis.
The researchers looked at over 11,000 post-menopausal American women and how much they slept.
The result? Those who notched up less hours under the covers had significantly lower bone mineral density at four sites – the whole body, hip, neck and spine – compared to women who sleep seven hours a night – the equivalent of one year of ageing.
Sleeping over seven hours didn’t make any difference however.
So why would this be the case? The study authors say the body undergoes a range of healthy processes during sleep – including bone remodeling, whether the old tissue is removed and new bone tissues forms.
When you don’t get enough sleep, that remodeling can’t take place.
Poor sleep is also associated with other health conditions, including obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease.
The positive news is that we can take steps to fix our poor sleep habits and add in other healthy behaviours.
“It’s really important to eat healthy, and physical activity is important for bone health,” lead author Heather Ochs-Balcom, an associate professor of epidemiology and environmental health, says. “That’s the exciting part of this story—most of us have control over when we turn off the lights, when we put the phone down.”
Lesson learned.
