A study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association reported that persons older than 45 might be more susceptible to atherosclerosis due to irregular sleep patterns (such as variable sleep duration or timing).

Poor sleep has been associated with type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and other cardiovascular diseases.

The study looked at data from 2032 individuals in the MESA Sleep Ancillary Study, which comprised adults between the ages of 45 and 84 in six US cities who completed a 7-day wrist actigraphy evaluation and kept a sleep diary between 2010 and 2013.

The study team evaluated two variables: sleep timing regularity, based on the time someone first fell asleep each night, and sleep duration, which is the total number of minutes of sleep in a night. They adjusted for sleep characteristics such as obstructive sleep apnea, sleep length, sleep fragmentation, and risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

38% of participants observed a change in sleep duration of more than 90 minutes throughout the 7 days, and 18% experienced a shift of more than 120 minutes.

Researchers found that those with irregular sleep patterns (SD > 90 minutes) were more likely to have a greater coronary artery calcium burden than those with more regular sleep patterns. Also higher aberrant ankle-brachial index were seen in persons with higher sleep irregularity than in those with more regular sleep patterns.

This shows that variations in sleep time and duration from one night to the next may lead to disruptions in the circadian rhythm and desynchronization of sleep-wake timing. In-depth research is required to comprehend the mechanics.

(Source: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/988655#vp_1)