Good Lifestyle

It's not a secret thatDo not sleep enough can affect your health in different ways. But as it turns out, sleep too little may not be the only problem. In fact, a study showed that sleeping tooa lot can also affect your health. So what is the perfect amount of sleep? According to recent research,Six to eight hours of sleep, it's exactly how much sleep you need to get every night.

The March study, which was conducted by researchers from the American Cardiology College, observed the sleep patterns of nearly 2,000 participants and found that those who slept less than six hours and those who slept more than eight hours .Both had a higher probability of plaque accumulation in their carotid arteries-The two large blood vessels in your neck - compared to those who have seven to eight hours of sleep.

"The message, based on our conclusions, is" sleeping well, but not too good ", author of the main studyEvangelos Oikonomou, MD, says in a statement. "Get too little sleep seems bad for your health, but too seems to be harmful too."

However,less sleep was finally more harmful than too much sleep. Those who slept less than six hours had a 54% increase in the accumulation of the plate, while those who sleep more than eight hours recorded an increase of 39%, which is significant, but not as high.

Anyway, adding extra plate is something to take seriously. Plate accumulation in carotid arteries isassociated with an increased risk of stroke and other cardiovascular damage, according to the Mayo Clinic. This is because these arteries are responsible for the delivery of blood to your brain and your head, which is made difficult when the plate obstructed the path.

Given that disease control and prevention control centers (CDC) reports almost140,000 Americans die every yearIt is a statistic that you may want to avoid. Fortunately, Oikonomou points out that you can easily make change. "Contrary toOther risk factors for cardiac diseases Such as age or genetics, sleep habits can be adjusted, "he notes.

RELATED:For more information up to date, sign up for our daily newsletter.

At this point, Oikonomou does not say much is known as forWhy Plaque accumulation is affected by sleep patterns because researchers still have to "fully understand the relationship between sleep andcardiovascular health. "However, a June study of this year, published in thePLOS Biology Journal, successful to bindDisturbance of sleep with chronic inflammation in the blood, which causes an accumulation of plate. This inflammation could have some correlation with the duration of sleep.

"It seems that [six to eight hours] sleep can serve as an additive cardioprotective factor in people living in modern Western societies, and there may be other health benefits to get sufficient sleep and quality", said Oikonomou. And for more ways to better rest,Never put this in your body before going to bed if you want to sleep, doctors say.