Warning for men: Waking up at night “increases” the chances of developing malignant cancer

A new study revealed that men who sleep intermittently and wake up at night for at least half an hour increase their risk of developing prostate cancer by 20%.

Experts at the US National Cancer Institute in Maryland analyzed data from 30,000 British men who participated in studies that included wearing a watch-like monitoring device to measure nighttime movements and sleep disturbances. Initially, none of the men had prostate cancer.

The results, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, showed that men who were awake for 30 minutes or more at night were 15 to 20 percent more likely to develop a prostate tumor later on.

Researchers believe that the danger results from a disruption of the circadian rhythm (the body's internal clock), which reduces levels of the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin.

Previous studies have linked low melatonin levels to an increased risk of cancer. The International Agency for Research on Cancer even lists sleep disturbance as a cause of cancer.

It is noteworthy that the main risk factors for prostate cancer include: advanced age, family history of the disease, obesity, and ethnicity, with black people being twice as likely to develop the tumor.