October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month!
It’s vital to know what breast cancer is and how it develops. Breast cancer occurs as a result of mutations. BreastCancer.org explains how these mutations work in one of their articles. When there’s a changed cell, it gains the ability to keep dividing and producing more cells just like it, potentially forming a tumor. The term breast cancer refers to a malignant tumor that’s developed from cells in the breast. Eighty-five to ninety percent of breast cancers are due to getting older while only 5-10% are due to someone inheriting it from their parents.
Breast Cancer And Sleep
Many different factors can contribute to the development of breast cancer. Lack of sleep can affect your overall health and well-being. It makes sense that a lack of sleep can put you at an overall increased risk of cancer. The National Sleep Foundation discusses how the International Journal of Cancer found a relationship between women’s irregular work schedules and the rate of breast cancer. The study found that the rate of breast cancer was 30% higher for women who had worked shifts.
Medical News Today wrote about a study done by BMJ reporting that a morning person could have what’s called a “protective effect” on breast cancer risk. They also found that getting the correct amount of sleep at night (7-8 hours) could also mitigate the risk of developing breast cancer.
Prevention
Along with making sure you get a full night of sleep, there are many other things you can do to prevent breast cancer. Here are some suggestions from the Mayo Clinic:
- Exercise
- Don’t Smoke
- Limit Alcohol Use
- Healthy Diet – The Mediterranean Diet
You should make sure to do regular breast exams on yourself. In addition, you should get checked at your physical exam, gynecology checkup, etc. Ask your doctor when you can begin mammograms because the sooner you can detect something, the better chance you have of beating cancer!
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