The early bird may avoid cancer: study

WOMEN could almost halve their risk of breast cancer by going to bed early and waking up at the crack of dawn, a study suggests.

Researchers compared socalled “larks”, who function best in the morning, with “night owls”, who feel more alert in the evening.

Those with a preference for rising early were 40 to 48 per cent less likely to develop the disease than those who would rather stay up late and lie in.

Women who slept longer than the recommended seven to eight hours a night also faced a 20 per cent higher risk for each additional hour of kip.

The University of Bristol scientists analysed the genetic data and sleep preferences of 409,166 women, some of whom had breast cancer.

They established a link between an in-built preference for early mornings or late nights and breast cancer risk.

Study leader Dr Rebecca Richmond said: “These findings have potential policy implications for influencing sleep habits of the general population in order to improve health and reduce risk of breast cancer among women.”

Ms Cliona Kirwan, from the National Cancer Research Institute, said: “These are interesting findings that provide further evidence of how our body clock and our natural sleep preference is implicated in the onset of breast cancer.

“We know already that night shift work is associated with worse mental and physical health.

“This study provides further evidence to suggest disrupted sleep patterns may have a role in cancer development.”