NIH R01 · 2025
Chronic sleep deficiency as a cause of bone loss in aging
More than 35% of adults in the U.S. undergo chronic sleep restriction (SR) which is associated with multiple, incompletely understood adverse health outcomes. Chronic SR is increasingly recognized as a risk factor for bone loss, bone fractures, and osteoporosis. Night shift work and chronic SR in middle-age to older adults imparts a similar risk of fracture as corticosteroid therapy. Our preliminary data in skeletally immature male rats show that chronic SR results in marked osteopenia, decreased cancellous bone mass, and lower bone mineral density—effects that are not fully reversible despite discontinuation of sleep restriction. The effects of SR on bone health during adulthood are…
From the public funding record at NIH RePORTER. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.