Breast Cancer: Sleep in total darkness to heal?

THE SLEEP HORMONE CAN PREVENT BREAST CANCER?

We already know that working at night drives up the risk of developing certain cancers, including breast cancer. The cause: a decrease in the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone and regulation of chronobiological rhythms. If it regulates the quality of our sleep, it also plays a vital role in many hormonal processes. Researchers have observed that getting a good night’s sleep, and allowing the hormone to do its job may slow down the growth of cancer cells.

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TAMOXIFEN DEPENDs on BRIGHTNESS

A study published in Cancer Research this week goes further. According to doctors at the University of New Orleans, bright lights mixed with melatonin production directly influences the effectiveness of tamoxifen, a widely prescribed drug for women suffering from breast cancer.

This is an anti-estrogen pill, capable of inhibiting the growth of cancer cells. According to them, being exposed to a light source at night could adversely affect the healing process.

In reaching this conclusion, the scientists compared two people with cancer. One was forced to 12 hours of light per day then total darkness for 12 hours. The second was allowed to get as much light as she wanted for 12 hours, followed by 12 hours of subtle darkness. For the second -“The brightness during periods of darkness was almost equivalent to the light of a normally lit room that filters under the door of the bedroom, “ says Steven Hill, an author of the study. The result: the treatment was less effective in the person who was sleeping in the subtle darkness and tumurs were more resistant to tamoxifen. The person sleeping in total darkness, revived a better treatment.

However, further studies are still needed to determine whether light truly does effect the healing of some cancers.

Source: Melatonin Circadian Disruption and by Exposure to Light at Night Drives Intrinsic Resistance to Tamoxifen Therapy in Breast Cancer, Cancer Research, July 25, 2014. 

Read more on our breast cancer report:

How to self-examine your breasts

The most reliable 3D mammography

A test to detect the risk of disease – 10 years ahead

Maureen Diament