Bad sleep 'dramatically' alters body

A run of poor sleep can have a potentially profound effect on the body internal workings. The activity of hundreds of genes was altered when people's sleep was cut to less than six hours a day for a week. Heart disease, diabetes, obesity and poor brain function have been linked to substandard sleep. What missing hours in bed actually does to alter health, however is unknown. So researchers at the University of Surrey analysed the blood of 26 people after they had had plenty of sleep, up to 10 hours each night for a week, and compared the results with samples after a week of sleep fewer than six hours a night. More than 700 genes were altered by the shift. Each contains the instructions for building a protein, so those that became more active produced more proteins- changing the chemistry of the body. Meanwhile the natural body clock was disturbed- some genes naturally wax wane in activity through the day, but this effect was dulled by sleep deprivation. Prof Colin Smith, from the University of Surrey, told the BBC: 'There was quiet a dramatic change in activity in many different kinds of genes.' Areas such as the immune system and how the body responds to damage and stress were affected. Prof Smith added, "clearly sleep is critical to rebuilding the body and maintain a functional state, all kinds of damage appear to occur hitting at what may lead to ill health. "If we can't actually replenish and replace new cells, then that's going to lead to degenerative diseases." He said many people may be even more deprived in their daily lives than those in the study, suggesting these changes may be common. - BBC