India, May 20 -- New research suggests that inconsistent sleep schedules even when total sleep time is adequate can markedly increase the risk of heart disease.
A large-scale international study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, found that adults with the most irregular sleep patterns faced a 26 percent higher risk of experiencing major cardiovascular events such as heart attacks, strokes, and heart failure. The study followed more than 72,000 adults over an average of 7.8 years, tracking their sleep habits using wrist-worn accelerometers. Researchers calculated a "Sleep Regularity Index", a measure of consistency in sleep and wake times, sleep duration, and interruptions. Participants with the lowest SRI scor...