Regular Sleep Schedule positive impact on health

Most studies focus on the importance of getting enough sleep for good health, but a new study finds that regulating sleep schedules may be even more important for disease prevention.

The new study found that people who do not stick to regular sleep schedules have a higher risk of stroke, heart failure and heart attacks, regardless of whether they get enough sleep or not.

In general, the recommended amount of sleep for those aged 18 to 64 is seven to nine hours a night, and seven to eight hours for those aged 65 and older.

Experts examined data from 72,269 people aged between 40 and 79 who took part in the UK Biobank study, none of whom had a history of major heart-related events such as a heart attack.

The participants wore an activity tracker for seven days to record their sleep, and experts then calculated each person’s Sleep Regularity Index (SRI) score.

This measures daily variation in sleep time, wake time, sleep duration and nighttime awakenings, and people are given a score from 0 (very irregular) to 100 (perfectly regular sleep and wake patterns).

The study participants were divided into three groups: irregular sleep (SRI score below 71.6), somewhat irregular sleep (SRI score between 71.6 and 87.3) and regular sleep (SRI score above 87.3).

The participants were followed for eight years, during which time the researchers analysed how many people had conditions such as heart attack, stroke and heart failure.

The study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, found that even after taking into account things that can affect the results such as coffee intake and exercise levels, participants who slept irregularly were 26 per cent more likely to have a stroke, heart failure or heart attack than those with a regular sleep pattern. Meanwhile, participants who slept somewhat irregularly were 8 per cent more likely to have these conditions than those with a regular sleep pattern.

The researchers also found that the sleep regularity index score was a continuous measure, with people's risk of heart attack and stroke increasing the more irregular their sleep patterns were.

Researchers noted that people who slept somewhat irregularly (i.e. less disturbed) saw their health risks reduced if they got enough sleep.

“Our results suggest that sleep regularity may be more important than adequate sleep duration in modifying the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events,” the researchers from the University of Ottawa said.

Emily McGrath, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, explains: “It’s not clear exactly how sleep benefits the heart, but research suggests that disturbed sleep is linked to higher levels of a protein called CRP. This is a marker of inflammation, a process linked to heart and circulatory disease. Sleep can also have an indirect impact on heart health, by influencing our lifestyle choices. Studies have suggested that not getting enough sleep can affect the hormones that influence our appetite, making us more likely to crave sugary foods. Over a long period of time, this can lead to weight gain and an increased risk of coronary heart disease.”

She added: “Further research is needed to support this finding, but early results suggest there is an important link between sleep and heart and circulatory health.”

Source: The Independent - https://ar.rt.com/ysho