Is There A Connection Between Lack Of Sleep And High Cholesterol?

The word cholesterol is enough to make anyone worried. According to several reports, the number of people having high cholesterol is dramatically increasing. Now, cholesterol is not the villain in the story of health. The villain is the lifestyle we lead. In recent years medical studies have shown that most health issues occur due to poor and unhealthy lifestyles.

Does Lack Sleep Cause High Cholesterol?

One of the many aspects of reasons behind increasing cholesterol is improper sleep cycle. It has come up as a shock to many people as whenever people hear about cholesterol they think the common reason behind this is poor diet, drinking too much alcohol, or being overweight, but it’s more than that.

The sleep cycle plays a vital role in our overall health and an unhealthy sleep cycle can be deadly. In this article, we are going to state some facts regarding the high increased levels of bad cholesterol and it is connected with sleep.

👉The basic concept of cholesterol

Although many people see cholesterol as a warning sign, it’s not the whole truth. There are different types of cholesterols in our bodies. Cholesterol plays a vital role in our body as it helps to produce vitamin D. Moreover, there is plenty of other cholesterol that benefits hormones.

The type of cholesterol that takes care of our overall body is called High-density Lipoprotein. The other one which is known as the low-density Lipoprotein leaves a bad impact on our health. The low-density Lipoprotein is what causes risk factors in health. 

👉What happens when the bad cholesterol level is high?

If the quantity of low-density lipoprotein or bad cholesterol is too high, it can cause deadly heart disease and other cardiovascular issues as it develops lipid plaque in arteries and blood vessels. It can cause many more issues as well. However, having a high level of HDL can help your body eliminate the excess amount of LDL. 

👉The relation between sleep and increasing cholesterol level

Cholesterol is a chemical that has job to do with our brain which directly connects its levels to our sleeping patterns. Sleeping pattern is more essential for our overall health than it seems.

Recent studies it has shown that lack of sleep increases the level of bad cholesterol which can eventually cause the person severe heart disease. However, it’s not the end, in the same studies, it is also shown that oversleeping can also cause the same issues and life risks. 

The simple understanding of the relationship between lack of sleep and cholesterol levels is that in scientific research it was found that the genes that function for cholesterol transportation are not much active in people who get insufficient sleep which makes them prone to severe disease due to high LDL cholesterol.

Sleep is known as the restoration time for our body and mind. It is the time when your mind releases hormones that can fix and repair your stress, the blood pressure remains low and so is your heartbeat, it’s the recharging of your entire system.

An adult is supposed to sleep at least 7-9 hours a day. Lack of restorative sleep causes terrible health issues and eventually high cholesterol levels. Interrupted sleep causes sleep apnea which increases cholesterol levels. 

However, studies have also shown that sleep pattern works differently among men and women regarding high cholesterol level. Getting less than 6 hours of sleep each night increases the risk of high cholesterol in men. However, with women less than 6 hours of sleep each night it’s not the same. Snoring during sleeping for both men and women is a sign of lower levels of good cholesterol.

Conclusion

Adults aged over 20 and especially over 45 should monitor their health and lifestyle to be safe.