Good Lifestyle

Cancer can cause different symptoms depending on their location and the affected organs. Intestinal cancer, for example, can be identified by the appearance of blood in stool and digestive problems, while brain cancer can cause seizures and headaches. However, there are recurring symptoms in various cancers that may be less specific, and some of these symptoms are related to sleep.

Studies indicate that at least half of people with cancer have sleep problems, with this disease and can affect the ability to fall asleep and continue to sleep at night. There are several possible causes for the emergence of these problems, such as pain and discomfort caused by tumor, coughing or difficulty breathing and gastrointestinal or urinary problems caused by cancer. Next, we talk about some sleep disturbances that can be caused by cancer.

Night sweat

Although it is common to sweat a little at night, especially in warmer climates, recurring night sweat may be a symptom of sleep -related cancer. It is unclear why night sweat can be caused by some types of cancer, such as leukemia, lymphomas, bone or liver cancer. However, it is suspected that this may happen because the body is fighting the disease.

However, it is important to note that night sweat usually has less serious causes than this. For example, some lifestyle -related factors such as exercise or drink hot drinks before going to bed can cause night sweat. Hormonal changes and low blood glucose are some other causes for night sweat.

Fatigue and tiredness

The feeling of tiredness and fatigue can be physical, mental, or a combination of both and is quite common in adults. Different problems can cause fatigue, even after a good rest during sleep, such as vitamin deficiency, inadequate feeding, stress, mental problems and conditions such as flu and diabetes.

The feeling of fatigue even after a good night's sleep is also one of the symptoms of cancer. This is because cancer can affect hormone levels or produce substances that can cause fatigue, such as toxic substances that inhibit calcium and potassium production, or affect the immune system.

Relationship between Cancer and Sleep

According to a scientific article published in the National Library of Medicine, one of the greatest complaints of cancer patients is troubled sleep. The difficulty in sleeping, remaining asleep and having a restorative sleep is recurrent before, during and after the treatment of the disease, according to the researchers.

There are indications that between 30% and 75% of newly diagnosed patients have sleep disturbances, an incidence twice as much as in the general population. Most studies done on the subject have analyzed women diagnosed with breast cancer.

“The population of women with breast cancer is possibly more prone to insomnia for several reasons, including sleep disturbances due to increased frequency and gravity of heat waves associated with sudden menopause that happens with breast cancer treatment. Other possible factors include an intensification of depression and anxiety and fatigue levels after breast cancer diagnosis, ”explains the study.

Treatment of sleep disorders during cancer may include the use of medications, behavioral-cognitive therapy and some other types of non-pharmacological therapies. Generally, this problem is treated with a combination of pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies to help improve the quality of life of cancer patients, before during and after treatment of the condition.

Sleeping well is critical to physical and mental health. A good night of sleep helps to decrease blood pressure, strengthens the immune system, increases appetite, and can reduce the risk of anxiety or depression.