A research Article:

Lack of Sleep Contributes to Heart Attacks and Strokes

Sleeping less than six hours a night can lead to chronic illnesses, heart attacks and strokes, say researchers at the University of Warwick Medical School in Naples, Italy. They just released a 25-year study of 450,000 adults in the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan and Israel. The research combined the findings of 15 other sleep studies.

People who consistently got fewer than six hours of sleep per night had a 48% greater risk of developing heart disease. Six to eight hours of sleep was recommended. Less than five hours can lead to chronic conditions.

More than nine hours of sleep a night can indicate the onset of an illnesssuch as cardiovascular disease or depression. Long sleep was a marker of the onset of illness and not necessarily the cause of chronic conditions.

The study was published in the European Heart Journal. Professor Francesco Cappuccio led the study. He said that chronic short sleep produces hormones and chemicals which increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes. It can also lead to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and obesity – another risk factor for heart attacks and strokes.

Chronic lack of sleep can lead to glucose intolerance and insulin resistance, whichleads to type 2 diabetes and increases blood pressure, Cappuccio said. Lack of sleep can activate a brain chemical called cytokines. Cytokines are inflammation markers that are the basics for atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries- more precursors for heart attacks and strokes.

Sleep depravation should be considered a lifestyle risk factor like smoking, alcohol or sedentary lifestyle, according to Cappuccio. Independent magazine called the lack of sleep “a ticking time bomb.” Reasons for association between sleep and cardiovascular disease are not yet fully understood.