Sweet Dreams

Before breast cancer, I knew that sleep was important but never realized all of the ways that it impacts your health. I have always loved my sleep and usually get about 9 hours a night which might seem like a lot to some people. When going on a trip with friends, I am always the last out of bed in the morning and I occasionally get comments poking fun at my early bedtime on weeknights.

Well, it turns out that my sleep habits could hopefully benefit me as less sleep has been linked to an increased risk of developing breast cancer and recurrence. Some doctors have suggested that lower levels of melatonin, a hormone made in the brain, could explain the higher risk of recurrance for women that do not get enough sleep. Melatonin plays a role in regulating the body’s sleep cycle and may also help regulate cell growth and repair. People who don’t get enough sleep tend to have lower melatonin levels. Lower melatonin levels may lead to patterns of breast cell growth and repair that make breast cancer more likely to develop. That is why I take 20mg of melatonin before bed every night. 

There is also evidence that longer overnight fasting is tied to reduced breast cancer recurrence. In a study that was recently released, researchers found that fasting less than 13 hours per night was associated with a 36% higher risk for disease recurrence as compared with fasting 13 or more hours per night. Obviously they cannot promise any outcomes and this is only one study but I figure that fasting for 13+ hours is something I can easily incorporate into my recurrence prevention plan:

• My husband and I usually eat dinner between 6-7pm
• Drink 1-2 cups of organic green tea before bed
• When I wake up I drink 2 cups of water (read about the health benefits here)
• Shower and get ready
• By the time I have breakfast it is usually 9-10am

Voila, 13 hours!