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Sleep research Already after a week too little sleep increases the risk of heart disease
Everyone should know the problem: if you sleep too little, it will be difficult for you to concentrate and you will feel limp and impotent. Physicians now realized that the effects of low sleep are far more serious. When people sleep too little, they are more likely to develop various debilitating diseases.
Do you sleep enough each night or are your nights usually too short? Researchers at the University of Helsinki have now found in an investigation that people endanger their health when they sleep too little. One week too little sleep can be enough. The lack of sleep increases the risk of some diseases, the Finnish medical doctors said in a press release.
Forcher has found that even one week to sleep causes insufficient, the body's immune system and metabolism worsen. This increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. (Image: Gina Sanders / fotolia.com) Lack of sleep affects the immune system, appetite and other factors of health
Previous studies had already shown that sleep deprivation has a strong impact on human health. The effects affect our immune system, inflammation, carbohydrate metabolism and the hormones that regulate our appetite, the Finnish researchers explained. For the first time, however, the new study revealed that cholesterol metabolism is also affected. The current study examined the effects of cumulative sleep deprivation on cholesterol metabolism, say the experts. In addition, physicians analyzed the relationship to gene expression and lipoprotein levels in our blood. We have investigated the effects of lack of sleep on the functions of the body and which of these changes may in part increase the likelihood of causing disease, says Vilma Aho from the University of Helsinki.
Scientists analyze the results of three older studies
The study also found that certain genes that regulate the transport of cholesterol are less active when people suffer from sleep deprivation. This circumstance could be noted both in laboratory tests, as well as in a grateful Finnish population study, say the authors. In their study, the researchers analyzed the data from three older studies that looked at the effects of sleep deprivation. An experiment in collaboration with the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health simulated a full-work week of limited sleep under strictly controlled laboratory conditions, the physicians add.
When people suffer from sleep deprivation, they have less high-density lipoproteins
The researchers also used the data from the so-called Dietary, Lifestyle and Genetic Determinants of Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome (DILGOM) study. This is a subgroup of the national FINRISK population study, the experts explain. In addition, the doctors still used the data from a study that should determine the cardiovascular risk in young Finns. The current study used data from 2007, in which all participants were between the ages of 30 and 45, say the researchers. The authors found that people suffering from sleep loss had less high-density lipoproteins (HDL). These are usually considered good cholesterol transport proteins, the physicians add.
Through a week of sleep deprivation, the body's immune system and metabolism become worse
The new results help explain a higher risk of cardiovascular disease when people generally sleep too little and are often over-tired, the researchers say. It is now easier to understand the mechanisms behind the increased likelihood of such diseases, the researchers explain. These factors can contribute to the onset of atherosclerosis. This causes inflammatory reactions and changes in our cholesterol metabolism, explains Aho. People should be better informed about the health significance of having sufficient sleep for us, experts suggest. In conjunction with a healthy diet and sufficient exercise, later diseases could be prevented. Already one week too little sleep causes the body's own immune system and metabolism to change, adds Aho. (As)