Irregular sleep pattern hikes risk of heart attack

Getting enough sleep is important for good health. Sleep helps support healthy brain function and important aspects of metabolism.

Research has linked insufficient sleep to health conditions such as obesity and diabetes. Studies have also found that insufficient sleep and poor sleep quality have negative effects on heart health.

Now, a new study carried out by a research team led by Dr. Tianyi Huang at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital found that an irregular sleep pattern may be a new and independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Maintaining regular sleep patterns could help prevent heart disease just as physical activity, a healthy diet, and other lifestyle measures do.

Findings of this study are very important in view of the recent spike in the death of very young people due to heart strokes.

It’s unclear why irregular sleep patterns may have this effect. It may be due in part to disruptions to the body’s natural sleep-wake cycles, called circadian rhythms.

Heart rate, blood pressure, and other cardiovascular functions follow circadian patterns. Studies have shown that night shift workers, with disrupted circadian rhythms, have a moderate increase in heart disease and stroke.

“We hope that our study will help raise awareness about the potential importance of a regular sleep pattern in improving heart health. It is a new frontier in sleep medicine,” Huang says.

Future studies will focus on confirming these results and understanding the underlying causes linking irregular sleep and cardiovascular disease risk.