(05-05-12) Sleep duration directly linked to heart disease risk

by John Phillip

(NaturalNews) A startling number of people take a good night sleep for
granted, despite the mounting body of evidence to support a restful sleep
between six and eight hours every evening. In the past, studies have made a
loose correlation between the numbers of hours of sleep each night and risk of
diseases ranging from cancer to cardiovascular disease and dementia.
Researchers from the University of Chicago are presenting the result of a study
to the American College of Cardiology that explains a direct link between
sleeping a minimum of six hours each night and dramatically increased risk of
stroke, heart attack and congestive heart failure.

The study team found that individuals sleeping much more than eight hours each
night had a significantly higher prevalence of chest pain or angina and
coronary artery disease, a narrowing of the blood vessels that supply the heart
with blood and oxygen. The bottom line is simple: controlling the duration of
restful sleep in a totally darkened room is a modifiable risk factor that can
significantly reduce risk of heart diseases and related chronic illnesses.

Sleeping Less Than Six Hours Each Night Doubles Heart Attack Risk
Researchers examined 3,019 patients, aged 45 years or older participating in
the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, designed to assess a
broad range of health issues. The study showed that people getting less than
six hours of sleep each night were two times more likely to have a stroke or
heart attack and 1.6 times more likely to have congestive heart failure.
Conversely, those individuals that slept more than eight hours a night were two
times more likely to have angina and 1.1 times more likely to have coronary
artery disease.

Clearly the duration and quality of sleep is an identifiable risk factor for
heart disease, robbing your health in a similar manner to poor dietary choices
and lack of physical activity. The principal study investigator, Dr. Rohit
Arora commented "We now have an indication that sleep can impact heart health,
and it should be a priority... based on these findings, it seems getting six to
eight hours of sleep everyday probably confers the least risk for
cardiovascular disease over the long term."

While this research did not directly determine how sleep duration affects
heart health, past studies have implicated hyper-activation of the sympathetic
nervous system, glucose intolerance, diabetes, increased cortisone levels,
blood pressure, resting heart rate and inflammatory markers, all known risk
factors for increased risk of cardiovascular disease. As researchers continue
to determine the link between sleep and heart disease, the message is clear:
ensure a restful sleep between six and eight hours each night in a fully
darkened room to dramatically lower heart disease risk.

Sources for this article include:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120326113805.htm
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-03/acoc-stm032512.php
http://health.usnews.com
http://news.yahoo.com

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