A recent study led by Dr. Kelsie Full, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and faculty member at the Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer’s Center, found sleep irregularity was associated with a higher risk of atherosclerosis, or hardened arteries. Sleep irregularity is defined as frequently disrupted sleep and varying sleep durations night after night.
“These results suggest that sleeping close to the same total amount of time each night may play an important role in preventing cardiovascular disease,” said Dr. Full.
Dr. Full’s study has been featured in national publications such as CNN, The New York Times, and U.S. News and World Report.
Past research has found that atherosclerosis is associated with an increased risk of dementia, meaning your sleep habits not only affect your heart health but your brain health too.
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