Getting an adequate amount of sleep is a must for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Shift workers however have to face the dilemma of improper sleep.

Latest study reveals that getting too little sleep i.e. five hours a night changes your heart rate, raising heart diseases.

According to Time, sleeping less is already attributed to many diseases such as hypertension, now it shows that to have bad effects on the heart.

"In humans, as in all mammals, almost all physiological and behavioral processes, in particular the sleep-wake cycle, follow a circadian rhythm that is regulated by an internal clock located in the brain," said study lead author Dr. Daniela Grimaldi.

As per WebMD, "When our sleep-wake and feeding cycles are not in tune with the rhythms dictated by our internal clock, circadian misalignment occurs," added Grimaldi, a research assistant professor at Northwestern University in Chicago.

In a small study conducted at a sleep lab of University of Chicago, USA. Some 26 young adults were assigned to a week of shortened sleep, i.e. five hours of nap each night.

Half of the people slept during normal nighttime hours, and the other half slept during the day—a schedule familiar to shift workers, which don’t keep a typical 9-5 work hours.

A higher heart rate during the day was seen in both groups, to a greater extent at night when sleep deprivation was combined with delayed bedtimes. Also, there was an increase in levels of the stress hormone norepinephrine in the sleep-deprived and delayed-bedtime group.

Norepinephrine, can narrow blood vessels, raise blood pressure and expand the windpipe, the researchers noted.

The shift workers are therefore advised to eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly and get more sleep to protect their hearts, the researchers said.

Source: Business Recorder