Sleep deprivation has a bigger impact on heart health than expected

It’s no secret that missing sleep can leave you feeling sluggish. But even just a few nights of poor rest may be silently working against your heart.

A new study shows that limited sleep triggers changes at the molecular level, and that these are linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.

Scientists from Uppsala University conducted the study in a carefully controlled laboratory environment. The goal was to uncover how sleep deprivation impacts specific proteins in the blood that are associated with inflammation and heart problems.

A closer look at sleep and heart health

Heart health depends on many things – diet, exercise, stress, and sleep. While large studies have linked chronic sleep loss to heart attacks and strokes, it’s been harder to pin down exactly what happens inside the body when sleep is lacking.

The research team worked with 16 healthy young men, all of whom had a normal body weight and no known sleep problems.

Over two sessions in a lab, participants were monitored under tightly controlled conditions. They ate identical meals, followed the same activity levels, and completed 30 minutes of intense exercise each session.

The only difference was that one session included three nights of full sleep. The other allowed just four hours of sleep per night.

The body’s reaction to sleep loss

By analyzing morning and evening blood samples, the team examined the levels of around 90 different proteins. What they found was striking.

The levels of many inflammatory proteins increased after sleep deprivation. These same proteins have already been linked to heart conditions such as coronary artery disease and heart failure.

“Unfortunately, nearly half of all Swedes regularly experience disturbed sleep, and this is particularly common among shift workers,” said Jonathan Cedernaes, a physician at Uppsala University who led the study.

“That is why we wanted to try to identify mechanisms that affect how lack of sleep can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Ultimately, the purpose was to identify opportunities to address these problems.”

Sleep deprivation and heart health

The fact that these changes were found in young, otherwise healthy men after just a few nights of short sleep makes the finding even more significant.

Much of the research previously conducted on sleep deprivation and its impact on cardiovascular health has focused on older individuals who already have an increased risk.

According to Cedernaese, this is why it was important to study levels of these proteins in younger individuals.

“It was interesting that the levels of these proteins increased in the same way in younger and previously perfectly healthy individuals after only a few nights of sleep deprivation,” said Cedernaes.

“This means that it’s important to emphasise the importance of sleep for cardiovascular health even early in life.”

What about exercise?

The study also examined how physical activity affects the body under different rest conditions. Several proteins tied to the benefits of exercise increased regardless of rest levels. Still, the body’s overall response to exercise showed some variation when rest was limited.

The researchers had already observed that working out without proper rest may place extra stress on heart muscle cells.

“With this study, we have improved our understanding of what role the amount of sleep we get plays in cardiovascular health,” said Cedernaes.

“It’s important to point out that studies have also shown that physical exercise can offset at least some of the negative effects that poor sleep can cause. But it’s also important to note that exercise cannot replace the essential functions of sleep.”

Future research directions

While this study was focused on young men, many questions remain. Could the same changes happen in women, older adults, or people with existing health issues?

“Further research is needed to investigate how these effects might differ in women, older individuals, patients with heart disease, or those with different sleep patterns,” said Cedernaes.

“Our ongoing research will hopefully help to develop better guidelines on how sleep, exercise and other lifestyle factors can be harnessed to better prevent cardiovascular diseases.”

In the meantime, the message is clear: getting enough sleep is not just about feeling well-rested – it could be one of the simplest ways to take care of your heart.

The full study was published in the journal Biomarker Research.

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