Late to bed and early rising may raise heart risk: study

Going to bed late but waking up early because of hectic work schedule has become a trend for many, but scientist said having such a habit means inviting serious health hazards.

Researchers at the University of Warwick Medical School in the UK found those who could not afford to sleep for at least six hours a day are more likely to die from a heart attack or 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," said Professor Francesco Cappuccio who led the study.

"There is an expectation in today's society to fit more into our lives. But in doing so, we are significantly increasing the risk of suffering a stroke or developing cardiovascular disease resulting in, for example, heart attacks," Cappuccio was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.

For their study, Cappuccio and colleagues looked at the sleeping habits of almost 475,000 participants from 15 previous studies across eight countries, including the UK, the US, Japan, Sweden and Germany.

It was found that those who slept for less than six hours were 48 per cent more likely to develop or die from heart disease and 15 per cent more likely to develop or die from a stroke.

According to them, not having enough sleep decreases the levels of leptin in our blood, which means we do not feel as satisfied after eating.At the same time, they said, it raises the levels of ghrelin, responsible for triggering our appetite, thus making us feel hungrier.
This means poor sleepers are more likely to eat more and become obese, increasing their risk of high blood pressure and heart disease -- which lead to heart attacks and strokes.
Experts recommend adults get at least six or seven hours' shut-eye a night to stay healthy.

Co-researcher Dr Michelle Miller said: "Chronic short sleep produces hormones and chemicals in the body which increase the risk of developing heart disease and strokes, and other conditions like high blood pressure and cholesterol, diabetes and obesity.’
But the scientists also warned that sleeping more than nine hours every night may be an early warning sign of heart disease.

The new findings are published in the European Heart Journal.