Heart attack triggers: Doctors point out a common one than can be easily avoided

By DAYANAND MOHITE | published: January 03, 2024 09:38 PM 2019-02-12T14:15:30+5:30

city : mumbai

Previous research showed that people who follow a late-night routine, such as sleeping or waking up late, have an increased risk of suffering from heart diseases. But a new study published in the Sleep Medicine journal, circadian rhythm can affect calcification of the arteries.

Heart attack refers to a state wherein blood and oxygen supply to the heart gets disrupted due to a blockage in the arteries. And while some of the key factors responsible for heart attack are smoking, high-fat diet and excessive workout, doctors say there could be other factors as well. As per Swedish researchers, a key heart attack trigger is sleep, people who are night owls are more likely to suffer from this condition.

How is sleep linked to heart attack risk?

Previous research showed that people who follow a late-night routine, such as sleeping or waking up late, have an increased risk of suffering from heart diseases. But a new study published in the Sleep Medicine journal, circadian rhythm can affect calcification of the arteries. Involving over 700 Swedish people aged 50 to 64 years, researchers evaluated the degree of artery calcification in the coronary arteries was examined while using computer tomography.

Participants were asked to classify themselves as morning or evening person in the following categories on a five-point scale:

Extreme morning type

Moderate morning type

Intermediate type

Moderate evening type

Extreme evening type

Out of the 771 participants, 144 were identified as extreme morning people and 128 as extreme evening types. It was noted that the extreme morning people, those who were alert during the early hours during the day had the lowest levels of artery calcification. But in the extreme evening group, severe coronary artery calcification was at 40.6 per cent.

Experts said that their results show that extreme evening type were most prone to suffering from calcification in the coronary arteries and atherosclerosis. These factors were further worsened by the following:

Low physical activity

High blood pressure

Obesity or being overweight

Lack of sleep

Smoking

Excess stress

Atherosclerosis is a condition characterised by fatty deposits inside the arteries that thicken the walls thereby making blood circulation slow. This condition develops and aggravates slowly and it is usually not noticed until it leads to blood clots causing angina, stroke or heart attack.

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