Lack of sleep and heart disease linked in new study
A new British study has shown that people who do not get enough sleep are more than twice as likely to die of heart disease.
A 17-year analysis of 10,000 government workers found that those who cut their sleep from seven hours a night to five or less faced a 1.7 fold increased risk of death from all causes and more than double the risk of heart attack death.
The lack of sleep appeared to increase blood pressure and the findings highlighted a potentially dangerous fast, modern lifestyle, according to Francesco Cappuccio, professor of cardiovascular medicine.
“A third of the UK population and over 40% of the US regularly sleep less than five hours a night. The current pressures in society to cut out sleep in order to squeeze in more may not be a good idea, particularly if you go below five hours,” Professor Cappuccio said.
Previous UK research linked the health risks of shift work and disrupted sleep but this new study, supported by British and UK funding, was the first to link sleep and mortality rates.
