{"id":1302,"date":"2020-06-17T02:54:12","date_gmt":"2020-06-17T02:54:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bengalnewstimes.com\/are-hardened-arteries-a-risk-factor-for-poor-slumber\/"},"modified":"2020-06-17T02:54:12","modified_gmt":"2020-06-17T02:54:12","slug":"are-hardened-arteries-a-risk-factor-for-poor-slumber","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bengalnewstimes.com\/?p=1302","title":{"rendered":"Are Hardened Arteries a Risk Factor for Poor Slumber?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"News<\/p>\n

FRIDAY, June 12, 2020 (HealthDay News) — If you can’t sleep<\/a> well at night, the problem may be rooted in hardened arteries, a new study suggests.<\/p>\n

“We’ve discovered that fragmented sleep<\/a> is associated with a unique pathway — chronic circulating inflammation throughout the bloodstream — which, in turn, is linked to higher amounts of plaques in coronary arteries,” said researcher Matthew Walker. He’s a professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of California, Berkeley.<\/p>\n

Poor sleep<\/a> is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease<\/a>, which is the number one killer of Americans, claiming about 12,000 lives each week.<\/p>\n

For the study, the researchers used a statistical model to analyze data on more than 1,600 middle-aged and older adults who were part of the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis<\/a> (hardening of the arteries<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The investigators found a clear link between disrupted sleep<\/a> and higher concentrations of inflammatory factors, specifically, white blood cells and neutrophils, which play a role in atherosclerosis<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“In revealing this link with chronic inflammation, the findings suggest a missing middleman that is brokering the bad deal between fragmented sleep and the hardening of blood vessels,” Walker said in a university news release.<\/p>\n

The findings have public health implications, the study authors noted. Atherosclerosis often begins in early adulthood but usually remains undetected until it affects the flow of blood to the heart<\/a> or other organs. So, paying attention to sleep patterns may help find atherosclerosis in its early stages.<\/p>\n

“This link between fragmented sleep and chronic inflammation may not be limited to heart disease<\/a>, but could include mental health<\/a> and neurological disorders, such as major depression<\/a> and Alzheimer’s<\/a> disease,” Walker said. “These are new avenues we must now explore.”<\/p>\n

Here are some tips to improve sleep:<\/p>\n