There was a time when people slept when the sun set and woke up at sunrise. They also led relatively stress-free lives and could relax at regular times during the day. This lifestyle was more in tune with the body clock or circadian rhythm by which the body gets rejuvenated. Nowadays, the lifestyle choices that people are forced to make may disrupt the natural rhythm of this clock and make us vulnerable to various diseases.
These days, sleep deprivation has become quite prevalent. Many people work in shifts and work either late night or all night. As a result, they are not able to get the required amount of sleep, thereby putting their health at risk.
Risk of Coronary Disease
The risk of coronary disease in sleep-deprived individuals is more in women as compared to men. Various research carried out in this regard, including one that was published in the Internal Medicine archives in Japan, show that in women who slept less than 7 hours a night, the risk of developing high blood pressure and coronary artery disease increased by 1.68 times.
Blood Pressure and the Body Clock
The high incidence of heart attacks and other cardiovascular events during the early morning hours and subsequent research related to this prompt experts to believe that there is a strong correlation between circadian rhythm and hormone production in the body. When the body clock is disrupted due to lack of sleep, it could result in a sudden increase in blood pressure. A lab test conducted on mice may give a clue to the reason for this. It showed that abnormalities in the circadian rhythm can result in the production of high levels of aldosterone(a hormone which prompts water retention in the kidney) in the blood. This hormonal imbalance made the mice vulnerable to high blood pressure. More research is required in humans to establish this phenomenon.
Genetic Causes that Disrupt the Body Clock
Some essential elements and genes are required for the proper ticking of the body clock.
Researchers at the University of Kyoto conducted a lab test on mice and found that the lack of a pair of molecules called cryptochromes can cause abnormalities in the circadian rhythm.
When a similar gene was identified in humans, scientists were eager to carry out some more studies to find out how the disruption of the body clock causes the blood pressure to shoot, in humans. Researchers continue to study this phenomenon of the body clock and see how it affects our health, if we are unable to follow a regular sleep-wake pattern.
Solutions need to be found as increasing number of youngsters are opting to work in the "graveyard" shifts or working long hours with very less time to sleep, unaware of the serious damage it could cause to their health.
