A recent study suggests that getting less than 7 hours of sleep per night increases the risk of calcification in arteries, with calcified arteries found in one third of participants who slept less than 5 hours per night.

The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMAO) study followed 495 healthy middle aged participants for 5 years. At the beginning of the study participants had no detectible calcification in their arteries. Numerous factors were considered in relation to those who developed calcification such as age, sex, race, education, lipids, BMI, diabetes, etc. as well as sleep related information. After a comprehensive analysis it was discovered that a third of those who slept less than 5 hours per night had calcified arteries. The risk went down to only 1 in 10 for those who slept less than 6 hours per night. Those who slept more than 7 hours per night had the lowest risk.

While the study cannot say that a lack of sleep actually causes the calcification, a strong association is definitely present.

For more information see the BBC News article “Skipping sleep ‘hardens arteries’” found at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7796922.stm or the actual study from JAMA at http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/300/24/2859.