Cancer cells can appear anywhere in the body, where they multiply and metastasize to other organs—this is also the cause of death in 90% of cancer patients.

Have you ever thought that, when night falls and we drift into sleep, cancer cells may actually have a greater chance to metastasize more aggressively?

A new study published on June 22 in Nature aimed to explore when cancer cells are most likely to metastasize.

To determine the concentration of circulating cancer cells in the human body while awake and asleep, researchers collected blood samples from 30 women with breast cancer. They found that cancer cells multiplied 78.3% more during nighttime rest.

At the same time, the findings also showed that cancer cells are much more likely to spread when they grow at night.

Professor Chen Xiaobing (Henan Research Hospital Association and Henan Cancer Hospital) stated that many cancer patients suffer from insomnia. Nighttime is actually a very good period to detect whether one might have cancer.

If these signals occur at night, you should be alert—they may mean that cancer has been present in your body without your knowledge.

If you notice these 3 signs every night before going to bed, be careful that cancer cells may be “growing” in your body

1. Waking up due to pain in the middle of the night

If you often feel severe pain while sleeping at night, be cautious—cancer may be active.

Ordinary pain usually eases with rest. However, cancer-related pain is extremely serious. It often causes intense, persistent, and prolonged pain at night. Therefore, if you frequently wake up due to this reason, you should go to the hospital for a health check immediately.

2. Fever during the night

Leukemia, lymphoma, and other cancers can cause fever—often called “cancer fever.” A distinctive feature is that it usually occurs in the late afternoon or at night, and rarely in the morning. The fever is often between 37.3°C and 38°C.

The incidence and mortality rates of cancer remain high, mainly because people neglect regular checkups and miss the early stages when treatment is most effective.

3. Night sweats

Hou Shuling, head of the Lymphoma Department at Shanxi Medical Sciences Academy in China, stated that night sweats may be a sign of certain cancers, such as lymphoma. They may also be accompanied by other symptoms such as weight loss and fever.

Of course, these symptoms are not always caused by cancer, but they do remind us to stay alert. The best approach is to visit a hospital for timely examination.

Cancer incidence and mortality remain high, mainly because people ignore regular health screenings, which leads to missing the early stage of treatment.

Sometimes our intuition is very accurate. If you feel you are not sleeping well, often wake up at night, experience significant weight loss, bleeding from gums or nose, or frequent unexplained fevers—then you must raise your awareness of cancer prevention and early detection. Don’t wait until it’s too late to care about your health.