Can Just a Few Nights of Poor Sleep Increase Your Risk of Heart Disease? Study Finds Out
Even a few nights with insufficient sleep promote molecular mechanisms linked to a greater risk of heart problems, finds a new study in which the researchers investigated how sleep deprivation affects biomarkers (in this case proteins) associated with cardiovascular disease. The study was published in the journal Biomarker Research.
A chronic lack of sleep is a growing public health problem and in large population studies it has been linked to an increased risk of heart attack, stroke and atrial fibrillation.
The authors studied 16 healthy young men of normal weight. They all had healthy sleep habits. The participants spent time in a sleep laboratory where their meals and activity levels were strictly controlled in two sessions. In one session, participants got a normal amount of sleep for three consecutive nights, while during the other session, they got only about four hours of sleep each night. During both sessions, morning and evening blood samples were taken, and following high-intensity exercise lasting 30 minutes
The researchers measured the levels of around 90 proteins in the blood and were able to see that the levels of many of these that are associated with increased inflammation rose when the participants were sleep-deprived. Many of these proteins have already been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease such as heart failure and coronary artery disease.
A number of key proteins increased equally, whether the person was sleep-deprived or not. Thus, proteins that can be linked to the positive effects of exercise increased, even if the person had too little sleep.
"With this study, we have improved our understanding of what role the amount of sleep we get plays in cardiovascular health. It's important to point out that studies have also shown that physical exercise can offset at least some of the negative effects that poor sleep can cause. But it's also important to note that exercise cannot replace the essential functions of sleep," says Jonathan Cedernaes, physician and docent at Uppsala University, who led the study.
Reference: https://www.uu.se/en/press/press-releases/2025/2025-05-08-lack-of-sleep-can-increase-the-risk-of-cardiovascular-disease
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