Scientists have been aware of the negative impacts of improper sleep rates since a long time. The impacts are short term as well as long term in humans. It mainly affects an individual’s cardiovascular system. But improper sleep’s effects on circulation have always remained unclear. Through some new studies, scientists have uncovered some potential mechanisms. Researchers from University of Colorado Boulder are looking into how circulation is affected by promoting the build-up of fatty deposits in the arteries (atherogenesis) due to lack of sleep, which in turn leads to stroke or heart attack. "This study proposes a new potential mechanism through which sleep influences heart health and overall physiology.", says senior author Prof. Christopher DeSouza. After the study, results showed that patients who received less than the optimum 7 hours of sleep had their blood levels of three key circulating miRNAs that were 40-60% lower than the participants who received 7-8 hours of sleep. These three key circulating miRNAs - miR-125A, miR-126, and miR-146 lead to suppression of expression of proinflammatory proteins. Prof. DeSouza says, "they are like cellular brakes, so if beneficial microRNAs are lacking, that can have a big impact on the health of the cell” and explains how lack of sleep can affect our health in due course of time.
