The feeling of a good night’s sleep is second to none. Yet, for one reason or another, you could end up sleep-deprived on a given day. If this adds up, it could spell trouble for your organs and, most importantly, your heart. A recent study presented by China’s State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease found an interesting link between weekend naps and your cardiovascular health. Just how potent are those weekend naps? Read on to find out.
The Link Between Sleep And Heart Disease
Sleep is the downtime your body needs to set itself right each night.
While you sleep, you recharge, reinforce your body systems, regulate your metabolism, and prepare for the next day.
This study defines sleep deprivation as under 7 hours of sleep per night.
Prolonged sleep deprivation can lead to problems with metabolism and the working of your organs.
Sleep-deprived people fall into certain patterns of behavior, including:
- Higher stress levels
- Lower energy levels
- Poor exercise routines
- Unhealthy food choices
All of these are risk factors for heart disease.
That’s why striving for a good night’s sleep is essential.
About The Study
Study Design
The researchers aimed to find a link between irregular sleep patterns and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.
They defined two essential terms for the study:
- Irregular sleep patterns: A high day-to-day variation in sleep duration.
- Major CVD events: Atrial fibrillations, strokes, or heart attacks that resulted in either hospitalization or death.
They studied data from 90,903 people from the UK Biobank.
The UK Biobank comprises 500,000 participants’ physical and medical assessment data, curated from 2006 to 2010.
Researchers divided the study group into cohorts, depending on how much compensatory sleep they had gotten.
They used accelerometers to study the sleep patterns of the subjects.
Finally, around one-fifth of the participants (21.8%) were classified as sleep-deprived.
Observations And Conclusions
Initially, all participants were free from any kind of CVD.
The researchers observed them until their first major CVD event.
- These events had been documented in hospitalization records or death certificates.
- Participants with the highest compensatory sleep were 19% less likely to develop CVD.Â
- Even sleep-deprived patients who attempted to get some extra rest were able to reduce their risk of heart disease by 20%.
- The study concluded that people who get ‘catch-up’ sleep on the weekends have a significantly lower risk of heart disease.
Limitations And Future Perspectives
Limited ethnic representation: Most of the UK Biobank comprises white British people of higher socioeconomic classes. This limited the generalization of the study’s results.
However, even after adjusting for several factors, the association between sleep quality and the risk of CVD remained strong.
The researchers advocated for promoting regular sleep duration to reduce your risk of CVD.
Other Ways To Maintain Heart Health
This study recommends sleeping more to cut down the risk of heart problems.
Additionally, there are more things you can do to keep your heart healthy.
Some of these include:
- Avoid smoking: Beware of tobacco and its smoke. Avoid being exposed to second-hand smoke as well.
- Physical activity: Up to an hour of physical activity daily can greatly reduce your risk of heart disease.Â
- Watch what you eat: A balanced diet can stabilize your blood pressure and lower cholesterol, protecting your heart. Fish, lean meats, eggs, legumes, and nuts are good for your heart.
- Try to stress less: While stress can affect your blood pressure, the unhealthy coping habits it promotes can further harm your heart. Healthy ways to manage stress include physical activity, yoga, and meditation.
Summary: Weekend Naps And Heart Health
- Poor sleep quality could increase your risk of heart disease.
- A recent study suggested that naps that compensate for sleep deprivation could reduce the risk of heart disease by 20%.
- Researchers monitored over 90,000 people with varying sleep quality for adverse heart events like strokes or heart attacks.
- People who couldn’t compensate for their sleep deprivation were more likely to develop heart disease, resulting in hospitalization or death
- The study recommended promoting healthy sleep quality to ward off heart disease.
- Lifestyle adjustments like quitting smoking, eating healthy, and managing stress can also help keep your heart healthy
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