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U.S. researchers have linked irregular sleep to the development of atherosclerosis, especially in older adults. Atherosclerosis is the hardening of the arteries caused by cholesterol deposits on the artery walls, called plaques.
Atherosclerosis narrows arteries and reduces blood flow, cutting off oxygen and nutrients and increasing the chance of blood clots. That can lead to heart attacks and strokes — two of the leading causes of death worldwide.
What the study found
A team of cardiologists from leading U.S. medical centers ran a three-year study with more than 2,000 adults, whose average age was 69. Participants wore trackers to monitor their nighttime sleep and wake times. The researchers also tracked the buildup of arterial plaques.
The team found that volunteers whose sleep duration varied by more than two hours across the week were 40 percent more likely to have a significant amount of hardened plaques in their arteries. These people also had a 12 percent higher chance of developing fatty plaques in the neck arteries, the Daily Mail reported.
Participants who varied their sleep by more than 90 minutes during the week had a 43 percent greater chance of high calcium levels in their coronary arteries than those who changed their sleep by only 30 minutes.
Kelsey Full, the study’s lead author at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Tennessee, said this is one of the first studies to show a link between irregular sleep duration and atherosclerosis.
Keeping a regular sleep schedule is an easy lifestyle change that not only improves nighttime rest but also reduces older adults’ risk of developing cardiovascular disease, Full said.
Irregular sleep is also linked with high blood pressure, obesity, and type 2 diabetes.
In a paper published in a journal of the American Heart Association, the researchers urged doctors to encourage patients to adopt a regular sleep routine. That could help lower the risk of premature death and support longer, healthier lives.
