Lack of sleep in adolescence is related to the development of multiple sclerosis

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A study conducted in Sweden has found an association between

or poor quality sleep during adolescence and an

in adulthood.

The results are published today in the

Getting enough hours of restful sleep while you're young can help prevent the condition, researchers from the Karolinska Institutet suggest.

The development of the

Neurodegenerative disease is mediated by genetic and environmental factors

, such as smoking, adolescent weight (BMI), Epstein-Barr virus infection, sun exposure and vitamin D, the researchers note.

Additionally, shift work schedules have also been linked to increased risk of the condition, particularly at a young age, but

(duration, disruption of the biological clock, and quality of sleep) may affect this risk, they add.

The

during adolescence can be a risk factor that increases the chances of developing multiple sclerosis (MS).

The Swedish study carried out by the Karolinska Institute that allows this statement to be made has

.

The authors of the research, Torbjörn Åkerstedt, Tomas Olsson, Lars Alfredsson and Anna Karin Hedström based their work on the study of the population through data from the

, which included Swedish residents aged 16 to 70.

People with MS were recruited from hospitals and private neurology clinics and matched for age, sex, and residential area with two healthy people randomly selected from the national population registry between 2005 and 2013 and 2015 and 2018.

The researchers focused particularly on sleep patterns developed between the ages of 15 and 19, and the final analysis included 2,075 people with MS and 3,164 without the condition in this age group when they were recruited for the study.

Pablo Villoslada

, neurologist leader of the Neuroimmunology group at Idibabps-Hospital Clínic and associate professor at Stanford University, explains to SMC that "

and they carry out very rigorous studies, as in this case.

Until now there was no clear evidence that lack of sleep in adolescents was a risk factor."

How was the relationship between the amount of sleep and the risk of multiple sclerosis measured?

Participants were asked about their

: the duration of sleep on work or school days, and on weekends or days off.

Short sleep was defined as less than 7 hours/night;

adequate sleep from 7 to 9 hours;

and prolonged sleep such as 10 or more hours.

Changes in sleep time between work/school days and weekends/free days were calculated during adolescence 15-19 years and classified as less than 1 hour/night, 1-3 hours, and more than Three hours.

Study participants were also asked to rate sleep quality during different age periods using a 5-point scale, where 5 equals very good.

The average age at which MS was diagnosed was 34 years.

Sleep duration and quality during adolescence were associated with the risk of an MS diagnosis, which increased along with fewer hours of sleep and poorer quality.

Compared with sleeping 7 to 9 hours a night during adolescence, brief sleep was associated with a 40% increased risk of developing MS, after accounting for a variety of other potentially influential factors, including BMI at 20 years and smoking.

But prolonged sleep, even on weekends or days off, was not associated with increased risk of neurological disease.

Similarly, subjectively assessed poor sleep quality during this period was associated with a 50% increased risk of developing the condition.

In this sense, Villoslada points out that "of course, it is well known that sleep patterns change with adolescence and that

.

In this study they show that sleeping less than seven hours slightly increases that risk.

As they say, it does not mean that this is the cause, it could be the consequence of already incubating the disease (what is called the prodrome of the disease in medicine)".

Changes in sleep time between work/school days and weekends/free days did not appear to influence.

The results remained similar when shift workers were excluded.

The Idibaps neurologist explains that "regarding how lack of sleep could cause an increased risk of multiple sclerosis,

.

All physiological functions such as sleep and immune response are closely related to each other."

Final conclusions: better sleep, a preventive factor

The researchers caution that their findings should be interpreted with caution due to potential reverse causation, so sleep deprivation could be a consequence of neurological damage, not the other way around.

But

and inflammatory signaling, while the biological clock is also involved in regulating the immune response.

And he explains that insufficient or disturbed sleep is common among adolescents.

This is a phenomenon that is partly explained by physiological, psychological and social changes during this age period.

"Too

The availability of technology and internet access at any time contributes to adolescents not getting enough sleep and represents a major public health problem," they add.

Finally, the authors conclude that "insufficient and low-quality sleep during adolescence appear to increase the risk of developing it in adulthood.

, necessary for proper immune function, may be

".

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