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  • New research published in PLOS Biology suggests regularly disrupted sleep can increase your risk of heart disease.
  • Harry Styles Ran in One of Our Favorite Brands sleep per night.

Regularly disrupted sleep can be frustrating, since it may leave you feeling tired the next day—but it’s possible the effects of tossing and turning all night are more serious than simple fatigue. A recent study published in PLOS your brain function cardiovascular disease.

Researchers looked at data from more than 1,600 middle-aged and older adults who have taken part in the Inflammation has also been linked to neurodegenerative diseases like, a study started in 1999 to examine the effects of atherosclerosis, in which plaque builds up inside the arteries.

Using different measurements of sleep—including a wristwatch-type sleep tracker, as well as blood tests and calcium scores that can detect plaque buildup—researchers tracked study participants for a week. They found that sleep fragmentation raises chronic inflammation throughout the bloodstream, which is linked to higher amounts of plaque.

“If you ask someone on the street what causes heart disease, most people will tell you that it’s related to diet and exercise, and those are factors,” lead author Nutrition - Weight Loss., a postdoctoral fellow at the the University of California, Berkeley’s Center for Human Sleep Science, told Bicycling. “But it turns out that sleep is emerging as an incredibly critical factor in predicting cardiovascular disease.”

Tips to Maximize Recovery Alzheimer’s and certain mood disorders, Vallat added, which means a week of bad sleep can increase risks for a number of issues.

Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis inflammation tank your sleep and make it worse, or does poor sleep kick off the whole cycle?

Vallat said the evidence seems to be the latter—bad sleep leads to atherosclerosis, not the other way around. But, he added, it could start a vicious cycle where that inflammation makes your sleep problems more prevalent.

That means in addition to healthy eating and exercise, a stronger focus on sleep quality could have a major impact on heart health.

We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back recent study We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back Coach, Exercise Scientist Jack Daniels Dies at 92 looked at 95 endurance athletes, including runners, swimmers, cyclists, and triathletes. Researchers found the biggest increase in injuries among those who reported fewer than seven hours of shuteye per night.

[Run faster, stronger, and longer suggests regularly disrupted sleep can increase your risk of heart disease.]

Other research points to the dangers of sleep deprivation for everything from your metabolism to DAA Industry Opt Out. Plus, several studies have noted that it doesn’t take long to see bad effects of that sleep deficit. Even a couple days of poor sleep could set you back.

Harry Styles Ran in One of Our Favorite Brands sleep per night, according to the Mayo Clinic.

“Basically, one of the most effective—and pleasant—ways of lowering inflammation is by getting good sleep,” Vallat said.

From: Bicycling US
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Elizabeth Millard is a freelance writer focusing on health, wellness, fitness, and food.