
Sleep is critical for good health. Studies show that people who don’t get good quality sleep may be at risk for many diseases and disorders, from heart disease and stroke to obesity and dementia. In addition to offering preventative benefits, sleep is often touted as a miracle cure, helping the body recover from illness and surgery. The research suggests that most cells in our body work harder when we're awake.
However, a recent study from Switzerland found that breast cancer cells may be the exception, spreading faster while the body and mind rest.
The acceleration of cancer cells affects how breast cancer metastisizes. Metastases occur when circulating cancer cells break away from the original tumor, travel through the body via blood vessels, and form new tumors in other organs. Cancer is more challenging to treat once it metastasizes. Before this study, researchers thought tumors released circulating cells all the time.

Sleep Is Not the Enemy
As startling as this news is, researchers emphasize that more studies are needed to investigate the findings. Until further information is available, sleep should not be thought of as the enemy of people with breast cancer. The results have not proven that breast cancer patients don’t need sleep or should get less sleep. On the contrary, not getting enough sleep can be detrimental to people with cancer, and some studies have shown that less than seven hours of sleep per night may be linked to a higher risk of death.