Kaitlyn D’Onofrio

DocwireNews

Following a set sleep schedule has numerous health benefits for older adults, new research suggests.&nbsp;Researchers&nbsp;at Duke University Medical Center&nbsp;studied 1,978 adults aged between 54 and 93 years&nbsp;who do not have any sleep disorders&nbsp;and evaluated their Sleep Regularity Index (SRI) and relationships between the SRI and cardiometabolic risk with Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) data.&nbsp;Sleep irregularity&mdash;not sleep duration&mdash;was correlated with&nbsp;delayed sleep timing, increased daytime sleep/sleepiness, reduced light exposure, and increased perceived stress and depression, both of which are linked to cardiometabolic disease, the researchers noted.&nbsp;Irregular sleepers were also at a greater 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity, hypertension, fasting glucose, hemoglobin A1C, and diabetes.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;These results suggest that the SRI is a useful measure of sleep regularity in older adults,&rdquo; the study authors wrote.&nbsp;&ldquo;Additionally, sleep irregularity may represent a target for early identification and prevention of cardiometabolic disease.&rdquo;&nbsp;The results only indicate an association, though, and do not establish cause and effect.&nbsp;&ldquo;From our study, we can&rsquo;t conclude that sleep irregularity results in health risks, or whether health conditions affect sleep,&rdquo; said&nbsp;lead study author Dr.&nbsp;Jessica Lunsford-Avery, an assistant professor in psychiatry and behavioral sciences. &ldquo;Perhaps all of these things are impacting each other.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;Perhaps there&rsquo;s something about obesity that disrupts sleep regularity,&rdquo; Lunsford-Avery said. &ldquo;Or, as some research suggests, perhaps poor sleep interferes with the body&rsquo;s metabolism which can lead to weight gain, and it&rsquo;s a vicious cycle. With more research, we hope to understand what&rsquo;s going on biologically, and perhaps then we could say what&rsquo;s coming first or which is the&nbsp;chicken&nbsp;and which is the egg.&rdquo;&nbsp;<a href="https://proddocwire.wpengine.com/general/how-sleep-affects-your-relationships-according-to-science/">Read about how sleep affects your relationships here.</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://proddocwire.wpengine.com/cardiology/objective-but-not-subjective-short-sleep-duration-is-associated-with-hypertension-in-obstructive-sleep-apnea-original-articles/">Read about the association between sleep duration and hypertension in obstructive sleep apnea patients here.</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://proddocwire.wpengine.com/dentistry/are-there-associations-between-sleep-bruxism-chronic-stress-and-sleep-quality/">Are there associations between sleep bruxism, chronic stress, and sleep quality?</a>&nbsp;Sources:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-32402-5">Scientific Reports</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/09/180921082947.htm">Science Daily</a>

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Following a set sleep schedule has numerous health benefits for older adults, new research suggests.  ...

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