Too Little Or Too Much Sleep Enhances The Risk Of Heart Disease
Poor quality as well as low duration of sleep can lead not only to chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity and depression, but also risk patients to heart attacks.
Researchers from the Center for Cohort Studies at Kangbuk Samsun Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea, examined the information involving more than 47,000 young and middle-aged adults, asked them to fill a list of questions regarding sleep habits, and then subjected them to a series of tests for the heart.
The scientists saw that those who slept for just five hours per day have a 50 percent higher risk of developing heart disease compared to those who sleep seven hours a day. Sleeping longer than the recommended hours will endanger those who are oversleeping, increasing their heart disease risk to 70 percent. Research predicted the risk by examining the calcium in the coronary arteries.
"We also observed a similar pattern when we measured arterial stiffness," said Yoosoo Chang, study co-lead author and associate professor in the Center for Cohort Studies at Kangbuk Samsun Hospital. "Adults with poor sleep quality have stiffer arteries than those who sleep seven hours a day or had good sleep quality. Overall, we saw the lowest levels of vascular disease in adults sleeping seven hours a day and reporting good sleep quality."
Hence, scientists said that health can be improved only if people get the right amount of sleep.
"This adds to the importance of getting a good night's sleep on a regular basis, in addition to regular exercise and a heart-healthy diet, in reducing risk of heart disease," Dr. Mark Urman, a cardiologist with Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute in Los Angeles, who is not involved in the study, told HealthDay News.
The Sleep Foundation suggests that sleep can be influenced by the age factor. While newborns need to get 14 to 17 hours per day, school children should sleep between nine and 11 hours and adults at least seven hours but not more than nine hours per day, according to hngn.
The study was published in the Sept. 10 issue of the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular