More REM sleep linked to lower risk of 83 diseases

A large study tracking more than 95,000 people suggests that how you sleep may be linked to your risk of developing dozens of diseases. People who spent more time in REM sleep had lower risks of 83 conditions, including dementia, heart failure, and Parkinson’s disease, while more deep sleep was associated with lower risks of conditions such as type 2 diabetes and major depression. More REM sleep linked to lower risk of 83 diseases.

More REM sleep linked to lower risk of 83 diseases Science News from research organizations More REM sleep linked to lower risk of 83 diseases Tracking sleep in more than 95,000 people revealed striking links between sleep patterns and long-term health. Sleep quantity and quality is a priority of China’s National Health Commission and a focus in China more broadly. The most recent 2026 China Sleep Health White Paper finds that while the average surveyed Chinese person sleeps 6.97 hours per night, 23 percent sleep less than 6 hours per night.

The same report notes that only 26 percent of respondents reported a consistent sleep schedule, and that disturbances to sleep have increased over time. Understanding how sleep patterns are linked to disease risk is therefore of great relevance to Chinese citizens. There remains limited understanding of how sleep stages and other real-world sleep patterns relate to health outcomes.

In part, that is because self-reported sleep measures often show poor correlation with objective assessments, making it difficult to capture real-world sleep patterns.