Washington, Apr 1 : A new study has found that sleep disruption in seemingly healthy subjects is associated with increased clotting of the blood. This has previously been shown to predict cardiovascular disease.

The study was conducted by researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine.

As part of the research, a sleep study was done to record brain waves and airflow at the nose and mouth in 135 men and women, average age 36, who had no history of sleep disorders.

Researchers found a parallel correlation between higher levels of spontaneous sleep disruption and higher levels of compounds in the blood that served as markers for clotting.

“Sleep disruption needs to be taken seriously. It is known that certain forms of sleep disruption such as obstructive sleep apnoea convey extensive cardiovascular risk. We now know that sleep disruption is a potential factor in heart disease even in the average person,” said Joel E. Dimsdale, MD, Professor of Psychiatry at UCSD.

“In previous works, we found that sleep disruption was linked to pro-coagulant (i.e, pro-clotting) activity in patients with sleep apnoea, and in patients facing harrowing long-term stress. Now, we have seen the same pattern of findings even in healthy normal subjects” he added.

The findings of the research were published in the March issue of ‘Chest’, the official publication of the American College of Chest Physicians. (ANI)