New research suggests that not only is getting a good night’s sleep good for your health, but also when to get it.
According to a study of adults in the United Kingdom, those who do not follow regular bedtimes and wake-up times have a higher risk of stroke and heart attack.
Irregular sleeping patterns increase the risk of diseases such as stroke, heart failure and heart attacks by more than a quarter, regardless of whether people get enough sleep overall.
Sleep disruptions can trigger inflammation that can lead to a buildup of fat in the arteries, as well as disruptions in the circadian rhythm, to which blood pressure and other cardiovascular functions are related.
Researchers examined data from 72,269 people aged 40 to 79 who participated in the UK Biobank study, with no history of major heart-related events such as a heart attack.
They wore an activity tracker for a week to record their sleep, and then experts calculated a Sleep Regularity Index (SRI) score for each person.
This score captured daily variability in bedtime, wake time, sleep duration, and nighttime awakenings, and people were given a score ranging from 0 (very irregular) to 100 (sleep pattern). -perfectly regular wakefulness). .
All study participants were grouped into an irregular sleep group (SRI score less than 71.6), a moderately irregular sleep group (SRI between 71.6 and 87.3), or a regular sleep group (SRI score above to 87.3).
Those who had irregular bedtimes had the highest risk of stroke, compared to those who slept fewer hours overall but went to bed at the same time every night.
The people were followed for eight years, during which time the researchers analyzed how many suffered from diseases such as heart attacks, strokes and heart failure.
Even after taking into account factors that could influence the results, such as coffee intake and exercise levels, people who slept irregularly were 26 percent more likely to have a stroke, heart failure or a heart attack. heart attack than those who slept regularly.
People who slept moderately irregularly were eight percent more likely to do so, according to findings published online in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
The researchers also found that the SRI score was a continuous measure, and that people’s risk of heart attack and stroke increased the more irregular their sleep patterns were.
In general, the recommended amount of sleep for people ages 18 to 64 is seven to nine hours per night, and seven to eight hours for people ages 65 and older.
The study found that a higher proportion of regular sleepers (61 percent) met the recommended sleep quota than irregular sleepers (48 percent).
However, this made no difference to the heart health of irregular sleepers, who had the same increased risk of stroke and heart attack even if they got enough sleep.
In contrast, moderately irregular sleepers saw their risks decrease if they got enough sleep.
Lack of sleep can lead to obesity, memory loss, diabetes, heart disease, intense and unstable emotions, impaired learning ability, and a reduced immune response, leaving you vulnerable to disease.
The researchers, including from the University of Ottawa, said: “Our results suggest that sleep regularity may be more relevant than sufficient sleep duration in modulating the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events.”
Emily McGrath, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: “Exactly how sleep benefits the heart is unclear, but research suggests that sleep disturbances are associated with higher levels of a protein called CRP.”
‘This is a sign of inflammation, the process linked to heart and circulatory diseases.
“Sleep can also have an indirect impact on heart health by affecting our lifestyle choices.
‘Studies have suggested that not getting enough sleep could affect the hormones that influence our appetite, increasing our desire to eat sugary foods.
“Over a long period of time, this could lead to weight gain and an increased risk of coronary heart disease.
“More research is needed to reinforce this finding, but early results suggest there is an important connection between sleep and heart and circulatory health.”