HHS HealthBeat (August 15, 2008)

Not-so-good night

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Falling asleep at work isn’t the only risk you run if you’re sleep-deprived.

A study finds poor sleep can lead to greater psychological distress, and higher levels of  inflammatory chemicals linked to heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Researcher Edward Suarez of Duke University Medical Center looked at 210 healthy middle aged volunteers. They answered questions about their sleep and gave blood samples.

"Poor sleep was associated with higher levels of markers of inflammation, such as C-reactive protein." (6 seconds)

Men and women with poor sleep also reported more hostility, depression and anger. And women reported it more often than men.

Suarez recommends avoiding caffeine up to four hours before bed time, and setting a specific time for sleep.

The study in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: August, 15 2008