Sleep loss can damage body cells

Sleep deprivation causes damage to cells, especially in the liver, lung, and small intestine, says a study, adding that sleep recovery following deprivation heals the damage.

The findings suggest that sleep abnormalities are risk factors for cardiovascular disease and cancer.

"The study culminates years of work and provides physical evidence that sleep deprivation injures cells and that sleep recovery restores the balance between, among other parameters, DNA damage and repair," said lead author Carol Everson, professor at Medical College of Wisconsin in the US.

"This is important because specific physical underpinnings that pose disease risk from sleep deficiency have been elusive and are now becoming identified," Everson added.

The study appeared in the journal Sleep.