Sleep is one of the keys to our well-being, whether psychological or physiological. Conversely, sleeping irregularly would be particularly bad for our cardiovascular health. At least that’s what researchers at the University of Nashville reveal. as CNN reports.
Regular sleep would in particular prevent a very specific health problem: artherosclerosis.or “the accumulation of fatty deposits (atheroma plaque) in the arteries, which then lose their elasticity (harden) and narrow”, as defined by the Heart and Stroke Foundation. In this plaque, there are lipid streaks, which are made of a viscous and fatty mixture.
This pathology prevents the blood from transporting enough nutrients, or even oxygen throughout the body, as it is supposed to do when it circulates well. It mainly affects the coronary arteries (which irrigate the heart) and the carotid arteries (that of the neck). Several risks are linked to artherosclerosis: a detachment of plaques that creates thrombosis and completely obstructs the circulation of blood, or clots that block the irrigation of an organ. Angina pectoris, coronary artery disease, or heart attack (infarction) can result.
Number of hours slept, time spent falling asleep
If we already knew that the lack of sleep, its poor quality or its irregularity could affect cardiovascular health, this study goes further. Nashville scientists found that two nocturnal factors were linked to artherosclerosis risk : the time it took to fall asleep and the regularity of our hours of sleep.
They studied more than 2,000 people with an average age of 69 over the long term (about ten years). They were asked to keep a sleep diary in which they described how they slept, alongside home sleep examinations. They found that those whose sleep varied between 90 minutes and 2 hours per week were 1.4 times more at risk of developing calcium plaques in the arteries compared to those who slept on a regular basis.
Although this is only an observational study, scientists have concluded that sleeping the same number of hours each night helps prevent artherosclerosis. But of course, other factors are involved in the development of this cardiovascular disordersuch as physical activity or diet.
Sources: CNN, Heart and Stroke Foundation.
