A new study published in the journal Biomarker Research has shown that insufficient sleep, even over relatively short time periods, can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
The study, which had a crossover design, included 16 healthy young men of normal weight who reported healthy sleep habits. The participants spent time in a sleep laboratory over two different sessions where their diet, activity levels, and sleep times were carefully controlled. During the first session, the participants got a normal amount of sleep every night for three nights. During the second session, they got only four hours of sleep every night for three nights. Every day of the study, the participants had blood samples taken in the morning and at night. The blood samples were then tested for levels about 90 different proteins. The goal of the study was to see how sleep deprivation changes biomarkers, especially those associated with heart disease.
The results of the study showed that levels of many proteins associated with inflammation rose after the participants were deprived of sleep. Many of the increased proteins were also linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart failure and coronary artery disease. These results were particularly striking since the period of sleep deprivation only lasted three days, indicating that even short periods of sleep deprivation can negatively impact health.
The authors noted that these results are also interesting because the study included only relatively young, healthy individuals. Most sleep deprivation studies in the past have focused on older individuals who already have an increased risk of heart disease, but these results indicate that younger, healthy individuals also suffer negative health consequences from sleep deprivation. Future research will include broader populations, including women, older individuals, and individuals who already have heart disease.
Sources: Biomarker Research, Science Daily
