Impact on Cardiovascular Health: Insufficient Physical Activity to Compensate for Negative Impacts of Inadequate Sleep
Poor Sleep Quality Transients May Increase Cardiovascular Risk
A recently published study in the journal Biomarker Research suggests that inadequate sleep quality may cause a rise in biomarkers associated with inflammation and heart health over a short period. The study, led by researchers from Uppsala University, analyzes the effects of three consecutive nights of poor sleep on participants' health.
The crossover study involved 16 young men with healthy weights who underwent monitoring in a sleep lab for three nights each during two sessions. In the first session, the participants underwent restricted sleep, sleeping roughly 4.25 hours each night. In the second, participants experienced a normal night's sleep of around 8.5 hours on average.
Researchers collected blood samples from the participants in the morning and evening, as well as before and after high-intensity exercise sessions that lasted for 30 minutes. They analyzed 88 proteins related to cardiovascular disease, such as leptin, lipoprotein lipase, and galectin-9.
After examining the data, the researchers found a significant change in the participants' biomarkers due to short-term sleep restriction. Specifically, they found increased levels of proteins associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Exercise did help alleviate some of the effects but was not enough to cancel out the harm caused by inadequate sleep.
While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that adults get at least seven hours of sleep per night, the study results indicate that even brief periods of poor sleep can have detrimental effects on cardiovascular health. Key findings include increased inflammatory markers linked to heart failure and coronary artery disease. Furthermore, the sleep deprivation disrupted the internal molecular clock, leading to inflammatory cascades and cellular stress responses that could potentially impair cardiac function.
These findings underscore the importance of adequate sleep in maintaining proper heart health. While further research is needed to determine the impacts of sleep restriction on older adults and women, the study concludes that maintaining a consistent sleep schedule and employing good sleep hygiene practices, such as avoiding caffeine and alcohol late in the day and establishing a bedtime routine, may help reduce the risks of activating harmful proteins associated with poor sleep.
- Poor sleep quality, observed over three consecutive nights, was found to increase biomarkers related to inflammation and heart health, according to a study published in the journal Biomarker Research.
- The study, led by researchers from Uppsala University, analyzed the effects of inadequate sleep on a group of 16 young men with healthy weights.
- During the crossover study, participants underwent monitoring in a sleep lab for three nights each during two sessions, with one session involving restricted sleep and the other a normal night's sleep.
- The researchers collected blood samples from the participants to analyze 88 proteins associated with cardiovascular disease, finding a significant change in biomarkers due to short-term sleep restriction and increased levels of proteins associated with an increased risk of heart disease.
- Despite exercise helping to alleviate some effects, the harm caused by inadequate sleep could not be fully canceled out.
- The implications of this study highlight the significance of maintaining good sleep hygiene practices, such as a consistent sleep schedule and avoiding caffeine and alcohol late in the day, to potentially reduce the risks of activating harmful proteins associated with poor sleep and, in turn, promote overall health and wellness, including mental health, fitness, and exercise, as well as proper heart health and the management of other medical conditions like cardiovascular diseases and other heart diseases.
