Too many late nights increase risk of heart disease

Almaty. February 9. Kazakhstan Today - Doctors warn too many sleepless nights increase the risk of dying from heart disease, Kazakhstan Today reports.

The growing trend for burning the candle at both ends and sleeping too little at night is causing a "ticking time bomb" of health problems, heart doctors have warned, The Telegraph reported.

While the demands of work and family mean many barely stop from before dawn to well past midnight, cutting back on sleep can bring on heart disease and trigger strokes, scientists at Warwick University have found.

They discovered that sleeping poorly for less than six hours increases the risk of dying from heart disease by almost 50 per cent, and the risk of dying from a stroke by 15 per cent.

Francesco Cappuccio, professor of cardiovascular medicine and epidemiology, and Dr Michelle Miller, a lecturer in clinical sciences, made their conclusions after following 470,000 people from eight countries, for between seven and 25 years. Their research has been published in the European Heart Journal.

Prof Cappuccio said: "There is an expectation in today's society to fit more into our lives. The whole work-life balance struggle is causing too many of us to trade in precious sleeping time to ensure we complete all the jobs we believe are expected of us.

"But in doing so, we are significantly increasing the risk of suffering a stroke or developing cardiovascular disease resulting in, for example, heart attacks."

He went on: "If you sleep less than six hours per night and have disturbed sleep you stand a 48 per cent greater chance of developing or dying from heart disease and a 15 per cent greater chance of developing or dying of a stroke.

"The trend for late nights and early mornings is actually a ticking time bomb for our health so you need to act now to reduce your risk of developing these life-threatening conditions."

The optimum amount of time to sleep is between seven and eight hours, the study found, while sleeping more than nine could be an indicator of other health problems.

Scientists are unclear about how exactly lack of sleep harms the cardiovascular system, or even if there is a causal relationship.

But Prof Cappuccio said there was mounting evidence that it affected the endocrine system, which regulates hormone production.

It could also lead to impaired glucose tolerance and reduced insulin sensitivity, which can lead to diabetes, as well as high blood pressure.

"Too much or too little sleep can be detrimental to our health and this study highlights the importance of getting six to eight hours regularly; less or more than this can increase a person's risk of stroke."

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