This is How Poor Sleep May Accelerate Bone Loss

An investigation into the correlation between insufficient sleep and bone disease is being conducted by Dr. Christine Swanson, MD, MCR.

On April 23, at the University of Colorado Department of Medicine’s annual Research Day, faculty member Christine Swanson, MD, MCR, showcased her NIH-funded clinical research on whether adequate sleep might help prevent osteoporosis.

“Osteoporosis can occur for many reasons, such as hormonal changes, aging, and lifestyle factors,” stated Swanson, an associate professor in the Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Diabetes. “But some patients I see don’t have an explanation for their osteoporosis.

She includes that “(…) it’s important to look for novel risk factors and consider what else changes across the lifespan like bone does—sleep is one of those.”

The Interplay of Bone Density and Aging over time

According to Swanson, individuals in their early- to mid-20s reach what is known as peak bone mineral density, which is higher in men than in women. This peak significantly influences fracture risk later in life.

Following this peak, bone density remains relatively stable for several decades. However, women undergo accelerated bone loss during menopause, and men also experience bone density decline with age.

Sleep patterns also shift over time. As people age, their total sleep time decreases, and the composition of their sleep changes. For instance, sleep latency, the time it takes to fall asleep, increases with age, while slow-wave sleep, or deep restorative sleep, decreases.

“And it’s not just sleep duration and composition that change. Circadian phase preference also changes across the lifespan in both men and women,” Swanson noted, referring to the preferred times for sleeping and waking.

How Can Sleep Relate to Our Bone Health?

Swanson explained that genes regulating our internal clock are present in all bone cells.

“When these cells resorb and form bone, they release certain substances into the blood that let us estimate how much bone turnover is going on at a given time,” she added.

These markers of bone resorption and formation follow a daily rhythm. The amplitude of this rhythm is larger for markers of bone resorption—referring to the process of breaking down bones—than for markers of bone formation, she stated.

“This rhythmicity is likely important for normal bone metabolism and suggests that sleep and circadian disturbance could directly affect bone health,” she expressed.

Unveiling the Impact of Sleep Disruption on Bone Health: Insights from Swanson’s Study

To investigate this relationship more deeply, Swanson and her team studied how markers of bone turnover responded to cumulative sleep restriction and circadian disruption.

Participants in the study lived in a completely controlled inpatient environment, unaware of the time, and followed a 28-hour schedule instead of the usual 24-hour day.

“This circadian disruption is designed to simulate the stresses endured during rotating night shift work and is roughly equivalent to flying four time zones west every day for three weeks,” she explained. “The protocol also caused participants to get less sleep.”

The research team measured bone turnover markers at the beginning and end of this intervention, finding significant detrimental changes in bone turnover in both men and women due to sleep and circadian disruption. These changes included significant declines in markers of bone formation, particularly in younger individuals of both sexes compared to older individuals.

Additionally, young women showed significant increases in the bone resorption marker.

“If a person is forming less bone while still resorbing the same amount—or even more—then, over time, that could lead to bone loss, osteoporosis, and increased fracture risk,” Swanson said.

“And sex and age may play an important role, with younger women potentially being the most susceptible to the detrimental impact of poor sleep on bone health,” she added.

She noted that research in this area is still ongoing.

Read the original article on: Scitech Daily

Read more: How are Robots Helping in Personalized Knee Replacement Surgery