New Study Shows Sleep Deprivation Can Kill You

The following study shows that a sleep deficit built up over just five nights can significantly stress your heart. Let's see, 365 days X 9 years...it's a wonder my heart hasn't exploded.

From the AFP

Chronic sleep deprivation can do more than leave you short-tempered: it can also stress your heart and raise your risk of cardiovascular disease and death, according to a study released Wednesday.

The neurological and behavioural effects of long-term sleep loss have been well-documented, ranging from lowered concentration and hand-eye coordination to poor mood.

But the study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine adds to a growing body of evidence that there is also a physiological price to be paid for insufficient time under the sheets.

The study found that a sleep deficit built up over just five nights can significantly stress the heart.

The researchers tested the cardiac function of their 39 volunteers twice -- once at the beginning of the study, after a night of 10 hours' sleep, and again after five nights when they got a mere four hours of shut-eye each night.

The electrocardiograms revealed that all of the volunteers had a much faster heart beat and significantly less heart rate variability following the nights of sleep deprivation.

Reduced variability can be a marker for cardiac problems and other diseases and has been linked to high blood pressure.

"If our finding is sustained by a larger group and further analysis, it may suggest why short sleep duration is associated with a heightened risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality."