• A study led by researchers from Uppsala University examined how sleeping poorly can affect the body — specifically heart health.
• In the crossover study, scientists checked the participants’ biomarkers after they underwent sessions of poor sleep and healthy sleep.
• They found that biomarkers associated with inflammation and heart health increased after just three nights of poor sleep.

While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that adults get at least seven hours of sleep per night, this can sometimes be tough to achieve. Whether it is due to stress or underlying health issues, it is almost inevitable to get less than the recommended sleep at some point.

Not getting good sleep regularly can cause some health issues, such as worsening mental health or accelerated brain aging.

A new study examines how quickly the body can start reacting negatively to poor sleep. The results show that getting a bad night’s sleep just three nights in a row can start affecting health.

When seeing whether exercise could offset the effects of three nights of poor sleep, the researchers learned that it could help but did not cancel the effects of poor sleep.

The study appears in the journal Biomarker Research.

A Bad Night’s Sleep vs. A Good Night’s Sleep

The researchers noted that prior studies have shown the cardiovascular risks of chronic poor sleep. However, they thought research on short-term sleep deprivation and physiological factors needed to be expanded.

This study examined the effects of poor sleep in 16 young men, who the researchers noted all had healthy weights. The researchers carried out the study over two sessions, each of which included three nights of monitoring in a sleep lab.

In one session, the men underwent 3 nights of restricted sleep. On these nights, they only got around 4.25 hours of sleep.

The researchers collected blood samples from the participants in the morning and evening and before and after high-intensity exercise. The high-intensity exercise sessions lasted 30 minutes each.

In another 3-night session, the participants got a normal night’s sleep of around 8.5 hours on average.

The study analyzed 88 proteins related to cardiovascular disease, such as leptin, lipoprotein lipase, and galectin-9.

Poor Sleep May Cause Inflammatory Proteins To Rise

After reviewing the data collected, the researchers found that short-term sleep restriction was enough to change the participants’ biomarkers.

Just three nights of poor sleep elevated proteins that are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

Exercise was not enough to completely cancel out the harm caused by sleep restriction. While exercise did impact protein levels to some degree, the participants still experienced increases in 16 proteins related to cardiovascular disease.

According to the study authors, “the upregulated set included several stress, interleukin, and chemokine-related proteins.”

Some beneficial proteins that are connected to the positive effects of exercise, such as IL-6 and BDNF, were elevated regardless of sleep status. However, the proteins in people with sleep restriction were not elevated as much as in people with normal sleep.

The study shows that short-term sleep restriction can contribute to biological changes even in young, healthy men. This information demonstrates the need for awareness of how just a few nights of poor sleep have the potential to impact the heart.

The study authors emphasized that more research is necessary to determine the impacts that short-term sleep restriction can have on older adults and women.

How Sleeplessness Affects Health

Cheng-Han Chen, MD, a board certified interventional cardiologist and medical director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center, spoke with Medical News Today about the study findings.

“This biomarker-based study found changes in blood chemistry associated with inflammation after a few nights of sleep restriction,” said Chen. “This suggests a biochemical mechanism by which poor quality sleep can impact someone’s health.”

Chen said the results are “not entirely surprising” and noted that poor sleep can impact numerous health factors. In addition to cardiovascular health, Chen said sleep restriction can negatively impact endocrine and immune functioning.

A Few Ways To Improve Sleep

For people who want to improve their sleep quality and reduce the chances of activating harmful proteins related to sleep restriction, Chen suggested that people maintain “a consistent sleep schedule and bedtime routine.”

“We also recommend that people practice good sleep ‘hygiene’ including avoiding caffeine and alcohol later in the day, avoiding the use of electronic devices before bedtime, limiting long daytime naps, exercising regularly, and following a healthy diet,” Chen told MNT.

Harneet Walia, MD, medical director of sleep for Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute, part of Baptist Health South Florida, also spoke with MNT.

Walia noted the “robust methods” used in the study and said, “the findings add meaningful evidence to the growing literature suggesting that sleep duration directly impacts cardiovascular health.”

“This adds to the body of literature and amplifies the association of sleep restriction with a pro-inflammatory state, suggesting that even short-term sleep restriction can have significant health consequences.”

— Harneet Walia, MD

Walia recommended that people “create a relaxing bedtime routine to signal to your body it’s time to wind down” to ensure the best chances for a good night’s sleep.

Important Notice: This article was originally published at www.medicalnewstoday.com by Erika Watts, where all credits are due. Fact checked by Jennifer Chesak, MSJ