Key sleep metric linked to lower risk of 83 conditions across the body

Key Points:

• A study published in PLOS Medicine analyzed sleep tracker data from over 95,000 people and found that increased REM sleep is linked to a lower risk of 83 diseases, including dementia, Type 2 diabetes, and heart conditions.
• The strongest reductions in risk associated with more REM sleep included cannabis dependence (74%), Parkinson’s disease (72%), multiple sclerosis (52%), dementia (46%), and heart failure (26%).
• Deep sleep was also found to lower the risk of seven conditions such as anemia, Type 2 diabetes, anxiety, and Parkinson’s disease.
• REM sleep, essential for memory consolidation, mood regulation, and brain development, is estimated by wearables through movement, heart rate, and pulse data, though polysomnography remains the most accurate method.
• Sleeping six to eight hours consistently was linked to the lowest disease risk, while less than five hours or irregular sleep durations increased risks for conditions like depression, anxiety, and abdominal pain.