Sleep is very important for overall health. But unfortunately, thanks to our hectic modern lifestyle, most people suffer from lack of enough sleep. Stress and anxiety is a common feature in people’s lives today and this has led to an increase in sleep disorders. But if you do not get the required amount of sleep every night, you increase your risk of many chronic ailments like hypertension and diabetes. Now a new study says that poor sleep on a regular basis can also contribute to the fatty arterial plaque buildup known as atherosclerosis. This can result in fatal heart disease. The journal PLOS Biology published this study.
Lack of sleep causes chronic inflammation
According to researchers from the University of California in the US, fragmented sleep is associated with a unique pathway, chronic circulating inflammation throughout the bloodstream, which, in turn, is linked to higher amounts of plaques in coronary arteries. For the purpose of the study, researchers analysed the diagnostic data of more than 1,600 middle-aged and older adults using a national dataset known as the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.
To isolate the effect of sleep quality on heart health, researchers also looked at other risk factors and markers like age, ethnicity, gender, body mass index, sleep disorders, blood pressure and high-risk behaviours such as smoking. The researchers then tracked the results of the study participants, analysing their blood tests, their calcium scores that can gauge plaque buildup, as well as several different measures, including wristwatch-assessed sleep across a week and a night in a sleep laboratory that measured electrical brainwave signals.
Chronic inflammation leads to atherosclerosis
The study links disrupted sleep patterns to higher concentrations of circulating inflammatory factors and, specifically, of white blood cells known as monocytes and neutrophils, which are key players in atherosclerosis. However, researchers do admit that there may be a missing middleman that is brokering the bad deal between fragmented sleep and the hardening of blood vessels. They also say that these data are the first to associate sleep fragmentation, inflammation and atherosclerosis in humans and admit that the findings of this study linking poor sleep to atherosclerosis via chronic inflammation have major public health implications. In fact, they say that this link between fragmented sleep and chronic inflammation may not be limited to heart disease. It may include mental health and neurological disorders, such as major depression and Alzheimer’s disease.
Tips to sleep better at night
As an adult, you need to get at least 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night. If you get less than this, you may be inviting many chronic ailments. For proper sleep, it is important to maintain a routine. Go to bed at the same time every night. Before going to bed, do something that relaxes you. Listen to some music, meditate or just read a nice book. This will take away your stress and you will be able to sleep better. Avoid afternoon naps and exercise regularly. This will help you sleep better.