No More Snooze! Long Nap On Weekends May Increase Risks of Heart Disease

All human beings need 8-10 hours of sleep every day. But due to work schedules and late night shifts most of them lack it. People turn weekends as a time for sleeping. But many are not aware about the ill-effects of changes in sleep timings.A new study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism has found that there is a prominent link between sleeping schedule changes and heart disease. The study was conducted by Patricia M. Wong and her colleagues at the University of Pittsburgh.

Researchers analyzed 447 men and women in the age group of 30 to 54 years. They were asked to wear a device that tracked their sleep and wake up schedules for seven days.

They found that participants who had a regular sleep timings on both weekdays and weekends had a good metabolic rate and normal good cholesterol levels. But participants who had altered sleep timings had lower HDL cholesterol, higher triglycerides, higher insulin resistance and higher body mass index.

“It’s not clear yet that this is a long-term effect. But we think of this as people having to sleep and work out of sync with their internal clock, and that having to be out of sync may be having these health effects.” said the lead author, Patricia M. Wong, a graduate student at the University of Pittsburgh.

Researchers also found that about 85 % of participants had an altered sleep schedule on weekends and weekdays. Therefore, they suggested that maintaining a routine sleep schedule will improve good cholesterol levels and reduce the risks of heart disease.

Source-Medindia