Just 'three nights' of bad sleep is enough to raise your risk of heart attacks

Scientists have issued a warning as new research has linked a lack of sleep with cardiovascular disease. Even missing out on just three full nights of sleep is enough to raise your chances of a heart attack, stroke and atrial fibrillation.

Many of us know that getting enough sleep at night is vital to your health and wellbeing. The recommends that adults get between seven to nine hours of sleep each night for this reason.

And research has shown previously that insomnia or regular disturbed sleep can put you at risk of various health problems from cognitive decline to obesity. Now a study has found that just a few sleepless nights is enough to impact your cardiovascular health.

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As part of the study, which was published in the journal , the authors studied 16 healthy young men of normal weight. They all had healthy sleep habits.

Participants spent time in a sleep laboratory where their meals and activity levels were strictly controlled in two sessions. In the first session, participants got a normal amount of sleep for three consecutive nights, while during the other session, they got only about four hours of sleep each night.

During both sessions, morning and evening blood samples were taken, and following high-intensity exercise lasting 30 minutes. The researchers, from Uppsala University in Sweden, tested the levels of around 90 proteins in the blood and were able to see that the levels of many of these that are associated with increased inflammation rose when the participants were sleep-deprived.

As reported by , many of these proteins have already been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease such as heart failure and coronary artery disease.

Jonathan Cedernaes, physician and docent at Uppsala University, who led the study, explained: "Unfortunately, nearly half of all Swedes regularly experience disturbed sleep, and this is particularly common among shift workers.

“That is why we wanted to try to identify mechanisms that affect how lack of sleep can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Ultimately, the purpose was to identify opportunities to address these problems.”

The study found that this risk was there in younger people who previously had no sleep issues. Jonathan continued: “Many of the larger studies that have been done on the link between sleep deprivation and the risk of cardiovascular diseases have generally focused on slightly older individuals who already have an increased risk of such diseases.

“That is why it was interesting that the levels of these proteins increased in the same way in younger and previously perfectly healthy individuals after only a few nights of sleep deprivation. This means that it's important to emphasise the importance of sleep for cardiovascular health even early in life.”

Exercise and heart health

However, the study also found that exercise was able to offset some of the adverse effects of insufficient sleep. Jonathan added: "With this study, we have improved our understanding of what role the amount of sleep we get plays in cardiovascular health.

“It's important to point out that studies have also shown that physical exercise can offset at least some of the negative effects that poor sleep can cause. But it's also important to note that exercise cannot replace the essential functions of sleep.”

How to improve sleep

To improve your sleep, the NHS recommends that you:

• Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day
• Relax at least one hour before bed, for example, take a bath or read a book
• Make sure your bedroom is dark and quiet – use curtains, blinds, an eye mask or ear plugs if needed
• Exercise regularly during the day
• Make sure your mattress, pillows and covers are comfortable
• Do not smoke or drink alcohol, tea or coffee at least 6 hours before going to bed
• Do not eat a big meal late at night
• Do not exercise at least four hours before bed
• Do not watch television or use devices, like smartphones, right before going to bed, because the blue light makes you more awake
• Do not nap during the day
• Do not drive when you feel sleepy
• Do not sleep in after a bad night's sleep and stick to your regular sleeping hours instead.

The health body says you should see a GP if changing your sleeping habits has not helped your insomnia, you've had trouble sleeping for months, or your insomnia is affecting your daily life in a way that makes it hard for you to cope.