Khaberni - A recent study revealed that maintaining regular sleep times may play an important role in reducing the risk of heart and blood vessel diseases, including heart attacks and strokes, even among people who do not get more than eight hours of sleep daily.
The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Oulu in Finland, and the results showed that people who experience significant variations in sleep times were twice as likely to suffer from serious heart events over the following ten years compared to those who stick to a consistent and regular bedtime.
The data also showed that a significant change in the "mid-sleep," the point between bedtime and waking time, is associated with deteriorating heart health, while wake-up times did not show the same effect; suggesting that the timing of sleep specifically is the most important factor.
Researcher Laura Noha said: The results suggest that sleep regularity reflects the body's vital rhythms and their stability, explaining that irregularity could lead to disruptions in these rhythms, which may negatively impact heart health.
However, the study clarified that this association was only seen in participants who slept less than eight hours daily; suggesting that getting enough sleep could mitigate the effects of irregular sleep times.
Although the researchers took into account factors such as blood pressure, physical activity, and gender, the study does not prove a direct causal relationship, but indicates an association only between irregular sleep patterns and increased health risks.
The researchers suggest that disruption of the body's daily rhythm (biological clock) due to changes in sleep times may affect the heart's ability to recover, while daily life stresses, like work pressure or psychological stress, may play an additional role in this effect.
Nonetheless, the findings are consistent with increasing evidence linking sleep regularity with heart health, at a time when cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death globally, with about 18 million deaths recorded annually.
