Not sleeping well at night? What danger is threatening your heart!

The foundations of cardiovascular health are damaged by irregular and disturbed sleep. So says a recent study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. The research team led by Dr. Kelsie Full, Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine in the Department of Epidemiology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, observed 2,032 participants from six US communities.

After seven days of measurement, it was found that the participants who had trouble sleeping were more likely to experience increased calcium deposits in the coronary arteries, more atherosclerotic plaques in the carotid arteries, and generally more severe atherosclerosis, meaning narrowing the largest of the blood vessels.

Commenting on the findings, Dr. Full noted the need for doctors to encourage their patients to adjust their sleeping habits and adopt a consistent pattern regarding nighttime rest in order to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.