A study conducted by scientists from Shandong University in China stated that a deep sleep at night can help prevent the evil of asthma, even in people who are already prone to asthma. The study concluded that those whose sleep is interrupted, and those who suffer from insomnia and find it difficult to sleep deeply, have a 55% higher risk of developing asthma. Sleep experts say seven to nine hours of sleep a night, without snoring and without endless naps, is good for health. The study was based on data to confirm that those who suffer from sleep interruption face the possibility of developing asthma by up to 47%. While those who slept enough hours at night reduced their risk of developing asthma by up to 44%, compared to those who already had a low risk of developing asthma. The percentage drops to 37% for those with a high risk of infection. The Chinese Shandong University team used data from a study conducted by the British Biobank, to examine 455,405 people between the ages of 38 and 73. A genetic map was drawn for each of these people, including identification of those who were genetically susceptible to asthma. After decades of follow-up, the researchers concluded that 17,836 people had been diagnosed with asthma, according to the study published in the Journal of the British Medical Association. It turned out that they suffer from sleep disorders, obesity, and a genetic risk of developing this disease, in addition to some of them smoking excessively, suffering from high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, and exposure to air pollution. However, Dr Erika Kennington, head of research and innovation at the British Lung and Asthma Society, said science still doesn't know why some people develop asthma or lung disease, and why they develop asthma and not others. And she stressed the importance of the findings of the study regarding the effect of sleep on the incidence of asthma. However, she believed that uncovering the real causes of asthma requires investing billions of dollars in conducting in-depth research in this regard. Kennington added that although lung disease is the third leading cause of death in Britain, it does not receive more than 2% of public funding for research, diagnosis and effective treatment of these conditions.
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