Affiliation:
1. Department of Clinical Physiology Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra Coimbra Health School Coimbra Portugal
2. Department of General Sciences Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra Coimbra Health School Coimbra Portugal
3. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering INESC Coimbra University of Coimbra Coimbra Portugal
Abstract
AbstractObjectivesInvestigate whether partial sleep deprivation for five nights causes vascular changes in healthy university students.Study designProspective observational study.MethodsThe study involved 18 young and healthy university students who were instructed to sleep as recommended for their age group for three consecutive nights. On the study's fourth night, participants slept a maximum of 5 h and, on the following nights, they slept less than 8 h. The assessments consisted of carotid assessment, flow‐mediated dilation, and blood pressure (BP) monitoring. During the 8 days studied, participants used actigraphy in their daily routine.ResultsA decrease in the BP of the common carotid artery (CCA), both systolic and diastolic resulted from partial sleep deprivation. After one night of partial sleep deprivation, there was a significant increase in peak systolic velocity and a significant decrease in the systolic diameter of CCA. However, the systolic velocity returned to values similar to those of the control group with the accumulation of nights with sleep deprivation.ConclusionsOur study indicates that those who do not get sufficient sleep, display sudden alterations in their cardiovascular parameters, which are consistent with an increased risk of developing coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, stroke, and hypertension.