Sleep disruption and Breast Cancer in Women
Women with breast cancer report having poor sleep. Breast cancer is most often seen as a disease of aging, and factors that contribute to poor sleep can often be associated with getting older, i.e. obesity, hypertension. Sleep deprivation occurs due to the stress of diagnosis and chemotherapy treatment. Insomnia is often associated with another medical disorder. Insomnia could serve to exacerbate and worsen symptoms for people with chronic illnesses, potentially interfering with treatment. Some research points to insomnia decreasing pain thresholds. Treating the insomnia can lead to an increased quality of life.
Treating insomnia can lead to an increased quality of life and improved survival rate in women with breast cancer.
Improving quality of life is important, but improving sleep in women with breast cancer can also increase survival. In the study, “Sleep Disruption Predicts Survival of Women with Advanced Breast Cancer,” women with advanced breast cancer and with higher sleep efficiency, had a lower mortality rate. Sleep disruption leads to diminished immune function or impaired hormonal stress responses, improving sleep improves these factors. Insomnia is also a risk factor for depression.
Cancer fatigue is a persistent and subjective sense of tiredness that interferes with usual functioning.
Treating insomnia in cancer patients can improve a patients well-being. Video based cognitive behavioural therapy is an option for patients that may feel too ill to travel to a therapist. There are sleep disorders, like sleep apnea, that may cause insomnia. Sleep apnea is a disorder that causes you to stop breathing during the night, limiting the amount of air that reaches your lungs. A CPAP machine treats sleep apnea.
Cancer fatigue is a persistent and subjective sense of tiredness that interferes with usual functioning. Tell a specialist your sleep issues. Getting treatment for insomnia as well as receiving treatment for breast cancer can improve quality of life and improve survival outcomes.
We here at Clinique Somnomed are creating a few articles focusing on women’s health for our friends at FWD Co.
