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After their analyses, the team found that suboptimal sleep was significantly correlated with poor brain health This relationship persisted even after adjusting for other risk factors known to affect the brain including hypertension, diabetes, and smokingNew research from Harvard Medical School has found that irregular sleep patterns harm cardiovascular health, particularly in adults older than 45 Their study followed nearly 2,000 men and women aged 45 to 84 who did not have any prior cardiovascular disease
Researchers monitored each participant’s sleep patterns for 7 days using a device strapped to their wrist Each person also underwent an in-home sleep test and filled out a questionnaire-based sleep assessmentThe research team analyzed data from nearly 2,000 men and women, ages 45 to 84, who were enrolled in NHLBI’s Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis None of the participants had cardiovascular disease at the start of the study
Adverse cardiovascular events, including myocardial infarction, arrythmias and stroke, show time-of-day variations Underlying factors may include the circadian system control over a plethora of markers associated with cardiovascular functionParticipants with the most irregular sleep schedules were nearly twice as likely to develop cardiovascular disease as those with more regular sleep patterns This remained true even after adjusting for factors that affect heart disease or sleep, such as the breathing disorder sleep apnea
The association between irregular sleep and cardiovascular disease was stronger among minority populations, particularly African Americans, than white participantsHeart Health Does coffee help or harm your heart? Published August 1, 2023 Drinking coffee does not appear to increase the risk of heart rhythm problems, such as atrial fibrillation, in healthy people It may temporarily raise blood pressure and the number of non-harmful skipped beats While it may have other minor mixed positive and negative effects on other heart-related factors and behaviors (such as increased daily step counts, but decreased sleep duration and slightly higher LDL cholesterol), moderate coffee consumption appears to have no impact on the overall risk of cardiovascular disease
Heart arrhythmia treatment may include medicines, devices such as pacemakers, or a procedure or surgery The goals of treatment are to control or get rid of fast, slow or otherwise irregular heartbeats A heart-healthy lifestyle can help prevent heart damage that can trigger some heart arrhythmiasA new study has found that not sticking to a regular bedtime and wakeup schedule — and getting different amounts of sleep each night — can put a person at higher risk for obesity, high cholesterol, hypertension, high blood sugar and other metabolic disorders
In fact, for every hour of variability in time to bed and time asleep, a person may have up to a 27% greater chance of experiencing a metabolic abnormality Learn more about this study of MESA data by clicking the link belowGet the Medical Equipment You Need at Home Navigating the home can be a struggle for those with chronic illness or mobility concerns, but it doesn’t have to be If you need assistance at home, talk to your care provider to determine if home medical equipment can help
After your referral, let our experts at Johns Hopkins Care at Home deliver, set up and teach you how to use your new home medical equipment Discover Home Medical Equipment Options“Making small changes in your daily habits can make a big difference in your sleep quality and overall health Instead of turning on the TV to help you fall asleep, try reading a book or journaling about your day Putting your phone in another room can also prevent the temptation to scroll in bed,” Delgado-Lelievre said
“Implementing these small habits now can help you prepare for the upcoming daylight saving time change and ensure your sleep patterns are strong and more likely to remain consistent all year long”Niacin, also known as nicotinic acid or vitamin B3, is found in many foods and supplements The study suggests that too much may be harmfulDanijela Maksimovic / ShutterstockSleeping too much or too little is associated with changes in the brain that are known to precede and increase the risk of stroke and dementia later in life, a new study suggests
In one of the largest neuroimaging studies of its kind, researchers at Yale School of Medicine (YSM) examined the brain images of nearly 40,000 asymptomatic middle-aged adults to understand how their sleep habits may impact their brain health These findings add to the mounting evidence that sleep is a prime pillar of brain healthSantiago Clocchiatti-Tuozzo, MD The researchers found that suboptimal sleep duration is significantly correlated with silent brain injuries that clinicians know to foreshadow stroke and dementia years before their onset Following the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8 guidelines, the researchers defined suboptimal sleep duration as less than seven hours per night or nine or more hours
Their findings were published in the Journal of the American Heart Association on December 29 “Conditions like stroke or dementia are the end-stage result of a long process that ends tragically,” says Santiago Clocchiatti-Tuozzo, MD, postdoctoral fellow in the Falcone lab at Yale School of Medicine and first author of the study “We want to learn how to prevent these processes before they happen” Neuroimaging indicators of brain health: white matter hyperintensities and fractional anisotropy A poor night’s sleep can increase one’s risk for a wide range of chronic health issues, including heart disease, obesity, and depression, a growing body of research shows
To learn more about the effect of sleep duration on the brain, researchers can evaluate neuroimaging markers of brain health, including white matter hyperintensities and fractional anisotropy White matter hyperintensities are lesions in the brain that indicate brain aging and small vessel disease Fractional anisotropy quantifies the uniformity of water diffusion across nerve cell axons, reflecting the structural health of the brain’s white matter Greater presence and volume of white matter hyperintensities and decreased fractional anisotropy are associated with increased risk of stroke and dementia
Sleeping too much or too little is associated with poor brain health In this new study, the researchers obtained data from the UK Biobank, an extensive biomedical database with over a half a million participants between the ages of 40 and 69 Among the information it has collected are interviews in which participants reported their average sleep duration, including daytime napping Nine years after these interviews, the UK Biobank randomly selected approximately 40,000 participants to undergo a brain MRI neuroimaging study The team evaluated how too little sleep , optimal sleep , and too much sleep affected the presence and volume of white matter hyperintensities and fractional anisotropy
After their analyses, the team found that suboptimal sleep was significantly correlated with poor brain health This relationship persisted even after adjusting for other risk factors known to affect the brain including hypertension, diabetes, and smoking “These findings add to the mounting evidence that sleep is a prime pillar of brain health,” says Clocchiatti-Tuozzo “It also provides evidence toward helping us understand how sleep and sleep duration can be a modifiable risk factor for brain health later in life
” The study highlights middle age as an important time to adjust our sleep habits in ways that may help protect our brain health Clocchiatti-Tuozzo hopes that his work will inspire future clinical trials to determine whether making such sleep modifications can improve brain health during older age His team is also interested in studying how genetics may influence sleep “Sleep is starting to become a trending topic,” he says
Greater presence and volume of white matter hyperintensities and decreased fractional anisotropy are associated with increased risk of stroke and dementia. Sleeping too much or too little is associated with poor brain health In this new study, the researchers obtained data from the UK Biobank, an extensive biomedical database with over a half a million participants between the ages of 40 and 69. Among the information it has collected are interviews in which participants reported their average sleep duration, including daytime napping. Nine years after these interviews, the UK Biobank randomly selected approximately 40,000 participants to undergo a brain MRI neuroimaging study. The team evaluated how too little sleep , optimal sleep , and too much sleep affected the presence and volume of white matter hyperintensities and fractional anisotropy. After their analyses, the team found that suboptimal sleep was significantly correlated with poor brain health. This relationship persisted even after adjusting for other risk factors known to affect the brain including hypertension, diabetes, and smoking. “These findings add to the mounting evidence that sleep is a prime pillar of brain health,” says Clocchiatti-Tuozzo. “It also provides evidence toward helping us understand how sleep and sleep duration can be a modifiable risk factor for brain health later in life.” The study highlights middle age as an important time to adjust our sleep habits in ways that may help protect our brain health. Clocchiatti-Tuozzo hopes that his work will inspire future clinical trials to determine whether making such sleep modifications can improve brain health during older age. His team is also interested in studying how genetics may influence sleep. “Sleep is starting to become a trending topic,” he says. “We hope this study and others can offer insight into how we can modify sleep in patients to improve brain health in years to come.” TagsInternal MedicineGeriatricsFeatured in this articleSantiago Clocchiatti-Tuozzo, MD, MHSPostdoc Fellow
