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Groggy mornings aren't the only side-effect of sleepless nights: Too little sleep can increase your risk of heart disease, say Harvard sleep scientists.

"There's evidence that how much you sleep may contribute to the development of coronary artery disease, or heart attacks," says David White, M.D., assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Sleep-Deprived Women

In a recent study, Dr. White tracked the sleep habits of 70,000 women over ten years. "We found that people who slept approximately 5 hours a night had about a 40% higher risk of heart attack than people who slept 8 hours," he reports. Like diet and exercise, sleep plays a crucial role in heart health and disease-prevention.

Why? Sleep directly impacts basic body functions, say researchers. "Blood pressure tends to be lower when we sleep, so if we're sleeping less, then our blood pressure over the course of a day tends to be higher," says Sanjay Patel, M.D., instructor in medicine, Harvard Medical School.

Stress Hormones

When blood pressure is elevated, the heart and blood vessels work much harder, causing excess wear and tear on the body. Sleep-deprived test subjects also showed higher levels of the hormone cortisol in the bloodstream-another sign that the body is under stress.

The good news: Like regular exercise and proper nutrition, healthy sleep habits protect your heart from disease. And, for patients with existing heart disease, a good night's sleep is an essential part of the cure.

Sleep: A Health Essential

"We now know that getting sleep is just as important as many of the healthy lifestyle changes that doctors now recommend for people who have heart disease to prevent a second heart attack or worsening of their heart disease," says Dr. Patel.

In fact, healthy sleep isn't a luxury. Sleep plays an important role in keeping our bodies healthy and preventing disease. "There's evolving evidence that getting a reasonable quantity of good quality sleep is important in maintaining health and particularly heart health."

Source: breakthroughdigest.healthology.com/breakthroughdigest/15256.htm

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