Six to eight hours of sleep best for good heart health – Study

A number of studies have earlier talked about the benefits of good health. Not many know that having a good and sound sleep is also directly related to your heart health. Usually six to eight hours of sleep is beneficial for the heart. But a new study has mentioned that anything more or less than six to eight hours could pose a risk and can cause coronary artery disease or stroke.

The research was presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Munich, Germany and it was suggested that excessive hours in bed or sleep deprivation should be avoided for a good heart health. Dr. Epameinondas Fountas, the study author of the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Centre in Athens in Greece said, “Our findings suggest that too much or too little sleep may be bad for the heart. More research is needed to clarify exactly why, but we do know that sleep influences biological processes like glucose metabolism, blood pressure, and inflammations – all of which have an impact on cardiovascular disease.”

The research had date of more than one million adults from 11 studies. The study found that people who slept for less than six hours or more than eight hours were at higher risk of developing or dying from coronary artery disease or a stroke. The researchers said that adults who slept for six to eight hours are short sleepers and were at 11 percent greater risk while long sleepers had 33 percent increased risk in the next nine years.

On the other hand Dr. Fountas opined that having a odd short night or lie-in is not likely to be bad for health but evidence is piling up that prolonged nightly sleep deprivation or excessive sleep must be avoided. The study is not an alarm for people who have sleepless nights or like to lie late at the weekend but just reminder not to make it a regular habit.

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