People who sleep at the same time each night are less likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke, a study has found. Even if we get eight hours shut-eye a night, nodding off at funny hours raises the risk of the deadly conditions by more than a fifth
Experts are warning that sleeping at irregular hours could significantly increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes, even if you’re clocking in a full eight hours of sleep each night. Dr. Jean-Philippe Chaput from the University of Ottawa, Canada, who was involved in an extensive sleep study of over 72,000 individuals, remarked: “Our results suggest that sleep regularity may be more relevant than sufficient sleep duration in modulating major adverse cardiovascular event risk.”
He added, “Findings from this study suggest that more attention needs to be paid to sleep regularity in public health guidelines and clinical practice due to its potential role in cardiovascular health.”
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The research indicated a strong link between unusual sleep patterns and the increased risks of cardiac events, reports the Daily Star.
Emily McGrath, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, also highlighted the connection between disrupted sleep and heart health, stating: “It is not clear exactly how sleep benefits the heart but research suggests that disturbed sleep is associated with higher levels of a protein called CRP.”
She explained that CRP is an indicator of inflammation, which is connected to heart and circulatory diseases. McGrath further noted, “Sleep can also have an indirect impact on heart health, by affecting our lifestyle choices.”
The study, which monitored individuals with no major heart-related incidents like cardiac arrest at its commencement, involved participants wearing an activity tracker for seven days to monitor their rest. Researchers used the data to calculate each individual’s Sleep Regularity Index (SRI) score, which ranged from 0 – indicating “very irregular” slumber – to 100, representing a “perfectly regular sleep-wake pattern”.
Over an eight-year period, scientists tracked the health outcomes of the participants, focusing on heart-related conditions including cardiac arrest, heart failure, or stroke and examining the correlation to their sleep patterns. Remarkably, even after adjusting for variables such as coffee consumption and exercise levels, those deemed irregular sleepers had a 26 per cent increased likelihood of experiencing a heart attack, heart failure, or stroke compared to individuals with steady sleep patterns.
Likewise, moderately irregular sleepers saw an 8 per cent increased risk for these severe health issues.
