Sleep is good for your arteries 23 Aug 2019
For a while there has been an assumed link between poor sleep and heart disease but it was not understood. Now fresh evidence suggests that sleep regulates a mechanism that can help to protect arteries from hardening. Which reinforces the notion that good quality sleep is important for cardiovascular health. Researches studied the development of atherosclerosis - the process through which plaques or fatty deposits build up inside arteries causing them to narrow and stiffen. They discovered sleep disturbed mice:- Developed larger plaques in their arteries than mice that slept well.
- Had higher amounts of circulating, inflammatory cells.
- Produced lower amounts of hypocretin - a brain hormone that controls wakefulness.