Even a slight chronic sleep deprivation increases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease later in life. Researchers have found that after just six weeks of shortened sleep, the cells lining blood vessels become inflamed and dysfunctional, which is considered an early stage in the development of heart disease.
Previous studies have not examined chronic sleep deprivation, but rather the physiological effects of several nights of deep sleep deprivation. But, as scientists point out, most people get up at about the same time every day, but tend to postpone their bedtime by 1-2 hours. The researchers wanted to mimic this behavior.
In a study conducted in Colombia, scientists examined 1000 women and selected 35 of them to participate in the experiment. These women usually slept 7-8 hours a night and agreed to complete the 12-week study. For six weeks, the women slept according to their usual routine. For the remaining six weeks, they went to bed 1.5 hours later than usual. Each participant’s sleep was checked using wrist-mounted sleep trackers.
After six weeks of shortened sleep, the cells lining the blood vessels were filled with damaging oxidants in all the participants. And unlike cells that are well rested, cells with limited sleep cannot activate antioxidant reactions to remove damaging molecules.
Inflamed and dysfunctional cells are an early stage in the development of cardiovascular disease. This is one of the first direct proofs that moderate chronic sleep deprivation causes heart disease.
These findings support recent epidemiological studies indicating a link between insufficient and irregular sleep and the risk of cardiovascular disease. Scientists are planning further research to find out how sleep time variability affects vascular health.
