Can Getting a Good Night’s Sleep Prevent Prostate Cancer?

A newly conducted study suggested that getting a good night’s sleep may protect men against prostate cancer.

Melatonin is a hormone secreted mainly at night by the pineal gland in the brain. The higher the level of this hormone, the longer you feel rested and the better you sleep. Melatonin regulates the immune system, renews cells, delays aging through its antioxidant effect, and regulates the body’s biological rhythm. Brightness and light stop melatonin production. For this reason, it is thought that a blind person’s chance of developing cancer is lower than that of other people, and this is attributed to higher melatonin levels. When insufficient amounts of this hormone are secreted, cells cannot renew themselves adequately, which reduces the body’s resistance.

Some American and Icelandic researchers identified a possible link suggesting that high melatonin levels in men’s morning urine reduce the risk of prostate cancer. For this reason, a large-scale study was undertaken to investigate the effect of melatonin levels on prostate cancer. The findings related to prostate cancer from this study were shared with the public by the American Association for Cancer Research.

In fact, the relationship between melatonin and prostate cancer did not emerge unexpectedly. Research on the relationship between cancer and melatonin, which has also been observed in other types of cancer, dates back 20-30 years. One of these studies, conducted on prostate cancer, was carried out by researchers from Harvard and the University of Iceland. In this study, a total of 2002-2009 Icelandic men were examined between 928 and 928. Of the participating men, 111 had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Of these, 24 were identified as having advanced-stage prostate cancer.

At the beginning of the study, participants’ first morning urine samples were collected, and they were asked to complete a questionnaire about their sleep patterns. The urine samples were then tested in a laboratory to measure melatonin and 6-sulfatoxymelatonin levels. The average 6-sulfatoxymelatonin level obtained from urine samples taken from the men participating in the study was determined to be 17.14 ng/mL. Among the male participants who completed the questionnaire, those who used medication to sleep, had difficulty falling asleep, or had difficulty sleeping continuously were found to have lower 6-sulfatoxymelatonin levels than the other participants who did not experience sleep problems.

Based on this finding, the researchers examined the relationship between 6-sulfatoxymelatonin levels and prostate cancer. Compared with men whose 6-sulfatoxymelatonin levels were average, men with higher 6-sulfatoxymelatonin levels were observed to have a significant reduction in their risk of prostate cancer. In other words, compared with men with average levels, men with high 6-sulfatoxymelatonin levels were found to have a %75 reduction in the risk of advanced-stage cancer. Likewise, the risk of developing cancer among men with average 6-sulfatoxymelatonin levels was lower than among men found to have low levels. In conclusion, men with above-average melatonin levels were observed to have a reduced risk of prostate cancer.

These findings are quite impressive and promising. Nevertheless, continuing large-scale research would be more reliable and informative in order to reach definitive conclusions.

Taking precautions before cancer develops is easier than trying to cope with the disease after it develops. Therefore, paying attention to a healthy sleep schedule, as well as eating healthily and exercising, will reduce the risk of many types of cancer, including prostate cancer.