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New research has shown that sleeping less than six hours a night can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, although sleeping too long can also have a negative effect on heart health.
Conducted by Spanish and American researchers, the new study included 3,974 Spanish adults without known heart disease and asked participants to wear an actigraph – a small device that continuously measures activity or movement – for seven days to measure their sleep.
They were then divided into four groups: those who slept less than six hours, those who slept six to seven hours, those who slept seven to eight hours, and those who slept more than eight hours.
Participants also underwent 3D cardiac ultrasound and cardiac CT scan for signs of heart disease.
The results, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, showed that after taking into account other possible risk factors, participants who slept less than six hours had 27% more risk of suffering from atherosclerosis, plaque buildup in the arteries of the body. , compared to those who slept seven to eight hours.
Participants with poor sleep, defined by the number of times they woke up at night and the frequency of their movements, were 34% more likely to have atherosclerosis than those with good quality sleep.
"It's important to realize that a shorter sleep period and good quality can overcome the detrimental effects of shorter duration," said Valentin Fuster, co-author.
Read also: Nine sleep myths debunked
However, sleeping too long also appeared to have a negative effect on health, as the team discovered a link between sleeping more than eight hours a night and an increase in atherosclerosis.
"Cardiovascular disease is a major global problem, we prevent and treat it using different approaches, including pharmaceuticals, physical activity, and nutrition, but this study highlights that we need to include sleep as one of the weapons we use to fight against heart disease – a factor that we compromise every day, "said Jose M. Ordovás, author of the main study." It is from the first study to show that objectively measured sleep is independently badociated with atherosclerosis throughout the body, not just in the heart. "
Ordovás also added that previous studies had shown that lack of sleep increased the risk of cardiovascular disease by increasing risk factors for heart disease such as blood sugar, blood pressure, inflammation and obesity .
For those who want to improve their sleep, it can be helpful to avoid or limit alcohol and caffeine. The researchers also found that the consumption of both was higher among participants with a short and disturbed sleep.
"Many people think that alcohol is a good sleep inducer, but there is a rebound effect," Ordovás said. "If you drink alcohol, you may wake up after a short period of sleep and have trouble getting back to sleep." And if you fall asleep, it's often a sleep of poor quality. "
As for caffeine, he adds: "Depending on your genetics, if you metabolize coffee faster, it will not affect your sleep, but if you metabolize slowly, caffeine can affect your sleep and increase the risk of disease cardiovascular. "
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