A new study has shown that poor sleep habits can significantly increase the risk of developing asthma. This risk is even higher for people who have a genetic predisposition to the condition. The combination of poor sleep and a family history of asthma can more than double the risk of developing the disease. Interestingly, the relationship between sleep and asthma is bidirectional, meaning that not only can asthma cause sleep problems, but poor sleep can also be an indicator that someone might develop asthma in the future. Researchers from Shandong University in China found that maintaining healthy sleep habits can lower the risk of asthma, even for those with a genetic predisposition. They suggest that early detection and management of sleep disorders could help reduce the incidence of asthma. The study analyzed data from over 450,000 people in the UK Biobank, aged 37 to 73, and found that 17,836 people were diagnosed with asthma over an eight-year follow-up period. Other factors that increased the risk of developing asthma included low education levels, obesity, smoking, alcohol consumption, high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, acid reflux, and high exposure to air pollution. Asthma is a condition that causes difficulty breathing, coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath due to narrowed airways that may swell and produce extra mucus. In the U.S., about 8% of people have asthma, and in 2020, asthma attacks resulted in the deaths of 204 children and 3,941 adults.