A lack of sleep can leave you groggy and grouchy. It may also put your life at risk.
Just three consecutive nights of limited sleep was enough to increase biomarkers associated with inflammation and damage to the heart, according to a recent study published in the journal Biomarker Research.
Researchers at Uppsala University in Sweden found that the lack of sleep impacted specific biomarkers, which are molecules found in the body that can indicate the presence of disease or other abnormality. In this case, the biomarkers were proteins associated with damage to the heart, including heart failure and coronary artery disease.
Chronic sleep deficiency is a growing public health problem. The researchers note that large population studies have linked a lack of sufficient slumber to a higher risk of heart attack, stroke and atrial fibrillation.
In the Swedish study, 16 healthy young men of normal weight with good sleep habits spent time in a sleep laboratory over two sessions. Meals and activity levels were controlled for and monitored.
In one session, the men got a normal amount of sleep for three consecutive nights. In the second session, they were limited to about four hours of sleep per night for three nights.
During these sessions, blood samples were taken from the participants in the morning, in the evening and after 30 minutes of high-intensity exercise.
The researchers monitored levels of about 90 proteins in the blood, many of which have been linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. Levels of such proteins increased with lack of sleep.
After physical exercise, several proteins linked to the positive effects of exercise increased, even after a night of limited sleep. In a summary of the study findings, study leader Dr. Jonathan Cedernaes says:
“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.”
As we noted in “The 10 Leading Causes of Death in America Today, Ranked,” heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in the United States.
Nearly half of Swedes regularly experience disturbed sleep, Cedernaes says, and the problem is especially common among shift workers.
The fact that younger, healthy people experienced these changes is notable, according to the researchers. Previous studies of this type have focused on older participants already at risk of cardiovascular disease.
The researchers say additional study is needed to see if these effects might be different in women, older people, those with heart disease and those who have other sleep patterns.
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