29/07/2025
Researchers found that restricting sleep to around 4.25 hours per night for just three nights led to higher levels of inflammatory proteins, which are linked to conditions like heart failure, coronary artery disease, and atrial fibrillation.
The study tested how short-term sleep loss affects the body by comparing people after a few nights of normal sleep and after a few nights of very little sleep. After poor sleep, their blood showed a clear increase in 90 different proteins linked to inflammation.
These changes happened even in young, healthy people, showing that sleep loss can harm the heart quickly. Lack of sleep doesn’t just affect the heart—it also increases the risk of weight gain, type 2 diabetes, weakened immune function, and poor mental health.
Sleep loss can raise stress hormones, disrupt blood sugar levels, and interfere with appetite over time, chronic sleep deprivation can make it harder for the body to recover from illness or injury. Sleep loss can also interfere with hormone balance.
