A study has found that night owls, people who sleep late and wake up late, are at a higher risk of coronary artery calcification (CAC) than early birds, those who sleep early and wake up early.
Coronary artery calcification is when calcium, fats, and cholesterol accumulate in the coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart muscles.
According to a report by MedicalXpress on the 25th, this fact was revealed after a research team from the Center for Sleep and Vigilance Disorders at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden (lead author Mio Friisk) analyzed data from 771 male and female participants aged 50 to 64 years old in the Swedish Cardiopulmonary Bioimage Study (SCAPIS).
The research team classified these participants into five types:
- extreme morning type
- close to morning type
- neither morning nor evening type
- close to evening type
- extreme evening type.
Of these, 144 were extreme morning types, and 128 were extreme evening types.
The research team compared and analyzed their coronary artery CT images.
As a result, the extreme morning type had the lowest incidence of coronary artery calcification at 22.2% among the five types.
On the other hand, the extreme evening type had the highest incidence of coronary artery calcification at 40.6% among the five types.
The research team explained that the 24-hour biological rhythm could be a significant risk factor for coronary artery calcification.
The research team emphasized that this study considered other variables such as blood pressure, blood lipids, weight, physical activity, stress, sleep, and smoking.
The results of this study were published in the latest issue of Sleep Medicine.
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