- A new study finds a link between irregular sleeping patterns and subclinical symptoms of atherosclerosis in older people.
- Atherosclerosis-related diseases are the leading cause of death in the United States.
- The study underscores the importance of establishing regularity in one’s sleep routine.
A recent study explores a connection between atherosclerosis, not maintaining a regular bedtime, and sleeping for inconsistent periods of time.
The study found that older people who varied sleep time by an average of two hours within a single week and those who changed their bedtimes by an hour and a half were significantly more likely to exhibit subclinical symptoms of atherosclerosis.
According to a press release, here’s what the researchers measured to investigate the presence of plaque in the arteries:
- calcified fatty plaque buildup in arteries — coronary artery calcium
- fatty plaque buildup in neck arteries — carotid plaque presence
- thickness of the inner two layers of the neck arteries — carotid intima-media thickness
- narrowed peripheral arteries — the ankle brachial index
They detected calcified plaque in arteries, the primary underlying cause of strokes and heart attacks. When they measured participants’ blood pressure at their arms and compared that figure to blood pressure at their ankles, the resulting high ankle brachial indexes indicated stiffness in their blood vessels. Both symptoms may be signs of developing atherosclerosis.
Atherosclerosis is a condition in which cholesterol, fatty deposits, and cellular waste products in your blood form sticky plaques on the insides of your arteries. The plaques thus thicken artery walls and can cause them to harden. The condition inhibits blood flow, preventing sufficient oxygen from being delivered to your organs.
According to the United States
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