Breaking News:Both long and short sleep duration linked to liver disease– What Just Happened

NEW population-level research has identified an association between abnormal sleep duration and increased risk of chronic liver disease, suggesting that sleep patterns may play a role in liver health alongside established metabolic risk factors.

Sleep as an emerging liver health factor

Sleep duration has been linked to cardiometabolic health, obesity, and insulin resistance, all of which are recognised contributors to chronic liver disease. However, its direct relationship with liver outcomes has been less well defined. The new analysis examined whether habitual sleep patterns were associated with markers of liver injury and fibrosis in adults.

Researchers focused on both short and long sleep duration, as both extremes have been associated with adverse metabolic outcomes in previous studies.

Study design and key findings

The study analysed health and lifestyle data from a large adult population cohort, including self-reported sleep duration, metabolic risk factors, and non-invasive indicators of liver disease. Liver outcomes were assessed using validated fibrosis scores and biochemical markers.

Participants who reported consistently short sleep duration were more likely to have elevated liver enzymes and higher fibrosis risk scores compared with those reporting moderate sleep duration. Long sleep duration was also associated with adverse liver markers, though the relationship was weaker than that observed for short sleep.

Interaction with metabolic risk factors

Further analysis showed that the association between sleep duration and liver disease risk was strongest in individuals with obesity, Type 2 diabetes, or metabolic syndrome. These findings suggested that sleep disruption may amplify existing metabolic stress on the liver, contributing to disease progression.

The authors noted that poor sleep may influence liver health through multiple mechanisms, including altered glucose metabolism, increased inflammation, and disruption of circadian rhythms that regulate hepatic function.

Implications for hepatology practice

The findings support growing interest in lifestyle factors beyond diet and physical activity in the prevention of chronic liver disease. Clinicians may wish to consider sleep habits as part of holistic risk assessment, particularly in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease or other chronic liver conditions.

While the study did not establish causality, it highlighted sleep as a potentially modifiable factor that could be addressed alongside established lifestyle interventions.

Future research directions

The authors called for prospective studies to clarify whether improving sleep duration and quality can reduce liver disease risk or slow progression in high-risk populations. Interventional studies may help determine whether sleep-focused strategies should be incorporated into liver disease prevention and management pathways.

Reference

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sleep duration and risk of chronic liver disease. 2026.
Available at: Last accessed: 19 January 2026.