Telomere length in sleep disorders

Sleep and circadian rhythms are affected by aging. Although the relationship between sleep disorders and cellular aging has been demonstrated in some studies, it still remains unclear. Telomere length has been considered one of the sensitive biomarkers for aging in recent years. Studies investigating the relationship between sleep disorders and telomere length are limited and their results are inconsistent. This study aims to demonstrate telomere length in sleep disorders.

The study sample consisted of 116 participants, 94 patients and 22 healthy participants. Patients groups comprised diagnosed with narcolepsy (N = 31), insomnia (N = 20), Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) (N = 21), and Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS) (N = 22) according to ICSD-3 diagnostic criteria. All participants were aged between 18-55 and had no tobacco, alcohol, or substance dependence. Telomere lengths of the participants were measured using the rtPCR method.

When telomere lengths were compared across groups, no significant differences were observed between the healthy controls and any of the patient groups. However, among the patient groups, individuals with insomnia had significantly shorter telomere lengths compared to those with RLS (p = 0.014) and OSAS (p = 0.012) (F = 4.405; p = 0.002).

The finding that patients with insomnia exhibited shorter telomeres than those with RLS and OSAS suggests that insomnia may present a higher risk for age-related diseases and accelerated aging processes.