A new study examined the association between sleep habits and heart disease.
After getting 7 days of sleep data from the participants, the researchers used the following 10 years of health data to examine the impact sleep habits can have on heart disease.
They found that adults who did not keep a consistent sleep schedule and got under 8 hours of sleep had a higher risk of a major cardiovascular event (MACE).
Maintaining a regular sleep schedule is an important part of overall health. Prior research suggestsTrusted Source that chronic sleep problems may contribute to developing diabetes, obesity, and mental health disorders.
Researchers from the University of Oulu in Finland took a closer look at the relationship between sleep and heart health in a long-term study of middle-aged adults.
They found that people who had both an irregular sleep schedule and got under 8 hours of sleep per night had the highest MACE risk.
Observing 10 years of sleep patterns.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that adults get a minimum of 7 hours of sleep per night. Many adults in the U.S. struggle with getting enough sleep, with CDC research reporting that about one-third of adults get less than 7 hours of sleep each night.
Lack of regular sleep can contribute to a number of both physical and mental health issues, including affecting the heart.
Poor sleep affects the body’s circadian rhythm, which helps regulate blood pressure and heart rate. Not getting enough sleep can affect blood pressure and cause it to stay elevated for a longer period of time instead of dropping at night during sleep.
With this in mind, the researchers in the current study wanted to learn more about the impact of sleep habits on heart health. They were interested in the participants’ bedtimes, sleep midpoints, wake-up times, and sleep duration.
The scientists used data from 3,231 adults in the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966. The participants wore activity monitors on their wrists for up to 2 weeks, and the researchers used the first 7 consecutive nights of sleep data for their analysis.
