Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi

New Delhi, Jan 21: New population-level research has found a link between abnormal sleep duration and an increased risk of chronic liver disease, indicating that sleep patterns may play an important role in liver health alongside established metabolic risk factors.

While sleep duration has been widely associated with cardiometabolic health, obesity and insulin resistance, its direct impact on liver outcomes has remained less clear. The latest study examined whether habitual sleep patterns were linked to markers of liver injury and fibrosis in adults.

The analysis was based on health and lifestyle data from a large adult population, including self-reported sleep duration, metabolic risk factors and non-invasive indicators of liver disease. Liver health was assessed using validated fibrosis scores and biochemical markers.

Researchers found that individuals reporting consistently short sleep duration were more likely to have elevated liver enzymes and higher fibrosis risk scores compared to those with moderate sleep duration. Long sleep duration was also associated with adverse liver markers, though the link was weaker than that observed with short sleep.

The association between abnormal sleep duration and liver disease risk was found to be strongest among individuals with obesity, Type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome. According to the researchers, sleep disruption may worsen existing metabolic stress on the liver, contributing to disease progression.

The study noted that poor sleep may affect liver health through several mechanisms, including impaired glucose metabolism, increased inflammation and disruption of circadian rhythms that regulate liver function.

The findings highlight the growing importance of lifestyle factors beyond diet and physical activity in preventing chronic liver disease. Experts suggested that clinicians may consider evaluating sleep habits as part of a holistic risk assessment, particularly in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease and other chronic liver conditions.

While the study did not establish a causal relationship, it identified sleep as a potentially modifiable factor. The authors called for further long-term and interventional studies to determine whether improving sleep duration and quality could help reduce liver disease risk or slow its progression in high-risk populations.