Study connects lack of sleep to heart disease in long run

Team Blitz India

PENNSYLVANIA: Whether it’s work or recreation that keeps us from getting enough shut-eye during the week, hoping we can compensate by sleeping in on weekends is a mistake. According to new research led by Pennsylvania State, when sleep is limited to five hours per night, it affects the heart by increasing the pulse rate and blood pressure. An attempt to catch up over the weekend is insufficient to return these measures to normal.

“Only 65% of adults in the US regularly sleep the recommended seven hours per night, and there’s a lot of evidence suggesting that this lack of sleep is associated with heart problems in the long term,” said Anne-Marie Chang, associate professor of biobehavioral health and co-author of the work, published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine.

“Our research reveals a potential mechanism for this longitudinal relationship, where enough successive hits to your cardiovascular health while you’re young could make your heart more prone to cardio vascular disease in the future.”Ann Marie said