Alternative Health Blog

Getting enough sleep is an underrated part of staying healthy. You might even say it is under the radar—or electrocardiogram readout—for women. That’s because a new study from British researchers shows that women who sleep less than the suggested eight hours per night are at higher risk for heart disease than a man not getting the full number of hours.

The females in a study published in the journal Sleep by scientists at University College London and the University of Warwick experienced significantly wider variations in inflammatory markers in the blood if sleep hours are inconsistent and insufficient. The inflammatory markers are molecules called interleukin-6.

While previous studies found adults who regularly “cheat” themselves of sleep by two to three hours are much more likely to die from cardiovascular problems, this new study indicates just one less hour of sleep than the optimal eight results in a sharp increase in interleukin-6.

Lead researcher Dr Michelle Miller said the findings “are consistent with the idea that sleeping seven or eight hours per night appears to be optimal for health."

She said follow-up studies are needed to determine the reason(s) why sleep has a more negative impact on women’s hearts than those of men. She did allow that her best educated guess is that female hormone levels may be a decisive factor.

The guess here is more research will suggest that men might be at more risk than this study show. Call it a hunch, but guys who respect the need for sleep will someday realize the wisdom of their ways. Not a hunch: Most women hearing about this British study will respect both the advice and getting enough sleep.

Bob Condor blogs for Alternative Health Journal every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.