Cholesterol

http://www.everydayhealth.com/health-report/managing-cholesterol/high-cholesterol-sleep-connection.aspx

Too Little Sleep, Too Much Cholesterol?

Not getting enough shut-eye could increase your risk of unhealthy cholesterol levels, although researchers aren't exactly sure why. Here's what is known about the sleep-cholesterol connection.

By Madeline Vann, MPH

Medically reviewed by Niya Jones, MD, MPH

 

Do you get less than five hours of sleep a night? You could be at risk for unhealthy cholesterol and triglyceride (a type of fat) levels, along with other ailments.
Although researchers can’t explain exactly why sleep seems to be linked with high cholesterol, or even whether treating sleep problems will help, speaking with a sleep specialist may prove beneficial for your health overall. Here’s what you should know.
Sleep and Cholesterol: The Research So Far
A team of researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania examined at health data and sleep habits from 5,649 adults who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2007 and 2008. When the team looked at hours of sleep and heart disease risk factors, they found that those who got the least amount of sleep (five hours or less) were significantly more likely to self-report having unhealthy cholesterol levels, obesity, and high blood pressure.
As people got more sleep, their risk factor profile improved. The team published the results in the January 2014 issue of the journal “Sleep Medicine.”
However, whether you sleep a lot or a little is probably only part of the picture, says sleep medicine expert and study author Michael Grandner, PhD, instructor in psychiatry and member of the Center for Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Your quality of sleep appears to matter as well. “People who report frequent difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep tend to have higher cholesterol,” Grandner says. “We don't know if this is cause or effect, since there are no studies that have really looked at whether changes in sleep can alter cholesterol levels, or if this association is just a coincidence.”
Untangling the relationship between disordered sleep and cholesterol isn’t easy. Here are a few of the possible ways poor sleep and unhealthy cholesterol could be related:

• Obesity. The more weight you have, the more likely you are to have fat in your mouth or throat that can block your breathing and contribute to sleep apnea, one of the most common and risky sleep disorders, which involves shallow or paused breathing. “Losing weight can make apnea better,” says sleep medicine specialist Eric Dyken, MD, director of the Sleep Disorders Program at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics an UI professor of neurology in Iowa City. Beyond the sleep-cholesterol connection, weight loss also has a direct effect on managing cholesterol levels.
• Imbalanced leptin levels. Leptin is a hormone that helps regulate your body’s ability to know when you’ve had enough to eat. People with disordered sleep appear to lose sensitivity to this chemical, which means that they continue to want to eat and gain weight because of it, contributing to the cycle of obesity causing poor sleep.
• Diminished response to insulin. Another aspect of disordered sleep is that your body loses sensitivity to insulin. Just as with losing sensitivity to leptin, this can lead to weight gain and higher cholesterol levels.
• Unhealthy diet. A high-carb, high-fat diet appears to contribute to both sleep disorders and high cholesterol at the same time. Making healthy changes — such as choosing low-fat options, cutting back on sweets, and eating more high-fiber foods — can help.
• Reduced oxygen. Episodes of apnea (or interrupted breathing at night) mean you're abruptly cutting off oxygen to your entire body. Even if these episodes are brief, it’s hard to know what the long-term effects of this lack of oxygen might be, according to Dr. Dyken.

Can Treating Sleep Disorders Help Your Cholesterol?
For almost 10 years, researchers have been debating whether treating sleep disorders directly improves cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Researchers who have compared the results of numerous clinical studies examining the effect of apnea treatment on cholesterol found no clear answer. Investigators in the Open Cardiovascular Medicine Journal in 2011 called for further research to better understand whether apnea treatment can mean healthier cholesterol.
People who suspect they have sleep apnea shouldn’t wait for more conclusive research results, say both Drs. Dyken and Grandner. Simply improving your quality of life might be reason enough to try to tackle sticky sleep challenges. Adults should get seven to nine hours of good quality sleep each night. Getting less than that can leave you with daytime sleepiness and difficulty performing your daily tasks.
“If your sleep problems are interfering with your ability to function, you should talk to a sleep specialist,” Grandner says. Sleep specialists are the best people to treat apnea, restless legs syndrome, narcolepsy, or other sleep disorders. Insomnia, however, can be managed by a psychologist who specializes in re-programming sleep schedules.
The most important thing to do if you have high cholesterol — whether or not it has anything to do with your sleeping habits — is to talk to your doctor about whether you should be prescribed to a cholesterol-lowering medication, as well as to adopt heart-healthy habits like exercising, quitting smoke, and eating healthy foods high in soluble fiber.
And while getting more or higher quality sleep isn’t guaranteed to improve cholesterol levels, better sleep certainly won’t hurt.

Last Updated: 03/04/2014