Skipping Sleep May Have Negative Effects On Your Heart Health

This effect occurs in young, healthy men — not just older individuals with preexisting conditions.

Sleep may seem like downtime, but a recent study from Uppsala University shows just how quickly poor sleep can start affecting your heart – and not in a good way. 

"With this study, we have improved our understanding of what role the amount of sleep we get plays in cardiovascular health," researcher Jonathan Cedernaes said in a news release. 

"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." 

The researchers used a randomized crossover trial: 16 normal-weight men with good baseline sleep habits spent time in a sleep lab under two conditions. 

In one scenario they got about 8.5 hours of sleep per night for three nights. In the other scenario,  they got only around 4 ¼ hours of sleep nightly. Diet, activity levels, and timings were all tightly controlled to isolate the effect of sleep itself.

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