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Erratic Sleep Pattern May Cause Heart Disease! Having good sleep allows the brains to consolidate the learning and memory so that one can perform tasks better the next day. Sleep is critical to good health as it helps the body repair itself and helps a person to function normally during the day. So, sleep is definitely not a luxury! Previous studies have associated sleep disorder including sleep deprivation, insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea to an elevated risk of high blood pressure, Type-2 diabetes, obesity and heart disease. But a recent research suggests that erratic sleep pattern may raise the risk of heart disease. A 5-year study conducted by Harvard Medical School found that older adults with irregular sleep pattern are nearly twice as likely to develop cardiovascular disease (CVD) as those with more regular sleep pattern. Erratic sleep pattern means that people have no regular bedtime and wakeup schedule, or they get different amount of sleep each night. The findings were published online on March 2, 2020 in the ‘Journal of the American College of Cardiology’. 1,992 men and women aged between 45 and 84 years old, who did not have CVD at the start of the study, were followed for about 5 years (2010-2016) after having a sleep examination. These participants were part of the NHLBI-funded Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) living in communities across the United States. Of the participants, about 38 percent were white, 28 percent African American, 22 percent Hispanic, and 12 percent Chinese American.
To measure sleep irregularity, the participants wore actigraph devices on their wrists to closely track sleep and wake activity for 7 consecutive days, including weekends. The actigraphs are devices that are designed to measure whether a person is active or at rest, which correlates to wakefulness and sleep. The participants also underwent a one-night at-home polysomnography (a comprehensive sleep test) at the beginning of the study and took a questionnaire-based sleep assessment. During the 5-year follow-up period, 111 participants developed CVD events, including heart attack and stroke, or died from CVD-related causes. Participants with the most irregular sleep duration or timing (a deviation of more than 90 minutes) were found to have more than double the risk of developing a CVD event over the follow-up period compared to those with the most regular sleep patterns. Even after adjusting for known cardiovascular risk factors and other sleep variables such as obstructive sleep apnea and average sleep duration, the associations remained strong. While the exact biological mechanisms behind the link is still unclear, the researchers suspect that harmful disturbances in the circadian rhythms might be the likely cause. Circadian rhythm is basically a 24-hour internal clock that is running in the background of the brain and cycles between sleepiness and alertness at regular intervals. It is also known as the sleep/wake cycle. Circadian disruptions can influence the rhythms of the autonomic nervous system that directly governs normal cardiac functioning. Cardiovascular system relies on the circadian rhythms to keep normal functioning. Blood pressure, for example, goes down at night, rises sharply before people wake up, and is generally highest midmorning. Anything that affects the body’s circadian rhythm can possibly contribute to inflammation, that can upset the cholesterol plaque in the arteries and lead to a heart attack. Erratic sleep patterns may also affect a person’s schedule of eating or exercise in ways that can harm the heart. When people have sleep abnormalities, there is a reduction in a hormone called leptin. When leptin levels are low, people tend to eat more and exercise less, leading to weight gain, obesity, and ultimately insulin resistance. Good quality sleep is paramount to maintaining overall health. Hence, in additional to improving the physical activity, eating a healthy diet, not smoking, and keeping a healthy weight, it is also important for people to get into the habit of going to bed and rising on a consistent schedule every day.
One interesting thing to note is that the
circadian rhythm will likely change as one gets older. Different individuals may
have different sleep/wake cycle. However, by paying attention to the body and
discover the feelings of alertness and drowsiness, one can always develop good
sleep habits, and have better sleep quality and feeling. Date: March 19, 2020
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