Breast Cancer Disrupts Sleep, Spikes Stress, Confuses Brain Early On: Study

• A new study reveals breast cancer can disrupt the brain's natural day-night rhythm almost immediately, even before tumors are detectable.
• This disruption leads to anxiety, broken sleep, and exhaustion, as the brain's stress system (hypothalamus, pituitary, adrenal glands) loses its rhythmic function.
• In mice with breast cancer, stress hormone levels became flat instead of peaking and dipping, linked to poorer well-being and shorter survival.
• Researchers found specific neurons in the hypothalamus were constantly active; stimulating them to a normal rhythm restored stress hormone cycles.
• Restoring these rhythms not only improved well-being but also led to immune cells flooding tumors and tumor shrinkage, without anti-cancer drugs.

Why It Matters: Breast cancer can profoundly impact brain function and stress cycles early, suggesting new avenues for treatment by restoring natural rhythms.