Lack of sleep, that is, getting too little high-quality sleep, is a serious health problem. More than a third of Americans report sleeping less than the recommended minimum of seven hours a night Lack of sleep has a negative impact on mental and physical health. In the case of lack of sleep, eye problems such as dryness and itching usually occur, while long-term lack of sleep increases the risk of eye diseases
The cornea is the transparent front of the eye, covering the iris, pupil and anterior chamber. Together with the anterior chamber and lens, the cornea can refract light, accounting for about two-thirds of the total light power of the eye. LASIK and other surgical techniques can reshape the cornea. Cornea is the transparent tissue layer covering the eyes, which is very important to ensure the health and function of the eyes. Cornea is maintained by stem cells, which divide to replace dying cells and repair small injuries. The activity of corneal stem cells needs to be accurately adjusted to ensure sufficient output of new corneal cells, and the imbalance of corneal stem cells can lead to eye diseases and visual impairment.
On April 28, 2022, in a study published in the stem cell report, Wei Li, zugou Liu and their colleagues from Xiamen University in China and Harvard University School of medicine in the United States evaluated the effect of sleep deprivation on corneal stem cells. Their experiments in mice showed that short-term sleep deprivation increased the proliferation rate of corneal stem cells. At the same time, sleep deprivation changed the composition of protective tear film and reduced the tear film antioxidants in sleep deprived mice. The researchers found that the components of tear film have a direct impact on the activity of corneal stem cells. It is encouraging that the application of eye drops containing antioxidants can reverse the excessive activity of stem cells.
Macro environment similar to the ocean
The microenvironment of tear film is like the macro environment of the sea. It can protect corneal basal epithelial stem cells from excessive exposure to reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the environment. There are many antioxidants in tear film, just like the diversity of marine organisms. Even a brief lack of sleep can destroy the redox balance in the tear film and affect the behavior of corneal subepithelial stem cells.
Research shows that after long-term lack of sleep, corneal health will be seriously affected, such as corneal thinning, wrinkles and decreased transparency. In addition, the cornea of mice with long-term lack of sleep contains fewer stem cells, indicating that long-term continuous stimulation of stem cell activity leads to the depletion and loss of corneal stem cells.
These data suggest that lack of sleep can have a negative impact on corneal stem cells and may lead to impaired vision in the long run. Further research is needed to confirm whether human corneal stem cells and patients have similar processes, and to test whether local antioxidant therapy can overcome some of the negative effects of sleep deprivation on corneal health.