3 Sleepless Nights May Raise Your Risk Of Heart Disease

New Delhi: People with poor sleep for just three nights may be at an increased risk of developing heart diseases, according to a study.

With chronic lack of sleep growing as a public health concern, researchers from Uppsala University in Sweden found that disturbed sleep may raise inflammation, increasing the risk of heart disease.

“Many of the larger studies that have been done on the link between sleep deprivation and the risk of cardiovascular diseases have generally focused on slightly older individuals who already have an increased risk of such diseases. That is why it was interesting that the levels of these proteins increased in the same way in younger and previously perfectly healthy individuals after only a few nights of sleep deprivation. This means that it’s important to emphasise the importance of sleep for cardiovascular health even early in life,” said Jonathan Cedernaes, a physician at Uppsala University.

The team analysed 16 healthy young men of normal weight -- all with healthy sleep habits.

The participants spent time in a sleep laboratory where their meals and activity levels were strictly controlled in two sessions.