Heart disease is one of the major killers in the US every year. Therefore anything that leads to an increased risk of heart disease must be identified, treated and/or prevented. A recent study has highlighted the fact that 27% of individuals in the study with less than 5 hours sleep per night had calcium deposits in their coronary arteries, compared to only 6% of individuals with over 7 hours sleep per night. It was further deduced that an extra hour above the 5 hours sleep, gave a 33% reduction in the chance of calcium deposits forming in the coronary arteries. The presence of calcium in the arteries leads to the development of plaque, which subsequently leads to artery blockage and a heart attack.

However the study did conclude that more research needs to be done as people who dont sleep much may be suffering from stress which has its own implications on heart disease and leads to a greater risk. One thing is for sure the risk on heart disease needs to be looked into further as many die each year from coronary heart disease.

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