More REM sleep linked to lower risk of 83 diseases

Greater amounts of REM and deep sleep were associated with lower risks of dozens of diseases, and less than 5 hours of total sleep was associated with high risks of disease, according to a new study published September 17 th in the open access journal PLOS Medicine by Shengzhi Sun of Capital Medical University, China, and colleagues.

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.