I’ve always struggled with inconsistent sleep, staying up late and waking up at different times each day. My love for coffee was also on an all-time high with trying all the season specials. But it is only recently, I learned how this irregular sleep pattern and caffeine could increase my risk of heart attack and stroke. Now, I’m prioritizing a consistent sleep schedule and cutting out caffeine after 3 PM to protect my heart.

A new, shocking study shows that irregular sleep patterns can greatly increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. But that's not all: the timing of your caffeine intake could also play a critical role in your cardiovascular health. If you are struggling with inconsistent sleep patterns and regularly sipping on caffeinated beverages late in the day, you may be unknowingly putting yourself at risk for serious heart-related issues.

For most people, sleep is something of a given and we often only consider ourselves as long as we get our required seven to nine hours. However, according to a recent study conducted by researchers at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, it may not be that long after all. The study, which included more than 72,000 participants, found that people with irregular sleep patterns—those who fall asleep and wake up at vastly different times each day—face a 26% higher risk of experiencing a heart attack or stroke. This increased risk persisted even for those who managed to get enough sleep. The study followed up participants for eight years to track heart events such as heart attacks, strokes, and heart failure. The conclusions were clear: irregular sleep, even if it's sufficient in duration, is a major cardiovascular risk factor.

The researchers found that those whose sleep patterns were highly irregular had a significantly greater chance of life-threatening heart issues. The more erratic your sleep schedule, the greater the risk, regardless of how many hours you sleep. In fact, people with irregular sleep schedules showed worse cardiovascular health outcomes, including higher rates of high blood pressure, elevated stress hormones, and poor blood sugar and cholesterol management.

Senior scientist Dr. Jean-Philippe Chaput said "sleep regularity may be more relevant than sufficient sleep duration in modulating MACE [major adverse cardiovascular event] risk." In the study, it shows that our bodies are comfortable with consistency, and a varied sleep schedule may interfere with other processes that keep us healthy, especially the heart.

Is it Caffeine After 3 PM Causing Sleeplessness?

Another daily habit that may be putting your heart at risk is caffeine consumption after 3 PM. According to Dr. Chaput, the experts emphasize the need for a healthy sleep schedule and avoiding caffeine late in the day. Caffeine can stay in your blood for up to eight hours, and its consumption later in the afternoon can disrupt your sleep cycle.

Consistent, good-quality sleep is necessary for maintaining healthy cardiovascular function, and the disruption of this by late-day caffeine intake exacerbates the risks posed by irregular sleep. When you drink coffee, tea, or other caffeinated beverages too late, the stimulant effect on your nervous system makes it harder to fall asleep at a regular time. This can lead to inconsistent sleep patterns, which, as we have seen, can be harmful to heart health.

Dr Chaput insists that humans need to adopt practices that contribute to regularized sleep habits. This can be attained by establishing a proper sleeping and waking schedule, eliminating afternoon intake of stimulants such as caffeine, and making your body clock coincide with the lifestyle one leads.

How Does Poor Sleep Affect Heart Health?

According to the experts, the disturbance due to irregular sleep patterns impacts more than one physiological process involved in the maintenance of the healthy heart. For example, poor sleep can be associated with increased inflammation of the body, weakened immunity, and altered regulation of blood sugar and cholesterol, all of which contribute to increased blood pressure and weakening endothelial function, both associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular diseases. Sleep also plays a very important role in regulating stress hormones. Poor or disturbed sleep results in increased levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, which increases blood pressure and can have negative impacts on cardiovascular health over time.

Scientists hypothesize that these disturbances trigger a series of negative effects that enhance the risk of developing chronic heart conditions, including hypertension, atherosclerosis, or even heart failure.

Tips to Protect Your Heart and Improve Your Sleep

In order to protect your heart, experts recommend several proactive measures to improve your sleep patterns and lifestyle. First, maintain a regular sleep schedule whereby you go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, including weekends. Consistency will keep your body's internal clock in check.

Along with regulating your sleep, paying attention to your caffeine habits is just as important. To reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke, experts suggest avoiding caffeine after 3 PM. If you’re sensitive to caffeine, this rule becomes even more critical.

In addition, the introduction of stress-reducing activities like yoga or mindfulness can also be beneficial to lower cortisol levels, and therefore both sleep and heart health can improve. A diet rich in antioxidants, healthy fats, and low on processed sugars also helps maintain cholesterol levels and reduce inflammation.

Does Your Sleep Environment Also Has A Role To Play

Apart from the timing of caffeine and your sleep schedule, another very overlooked factor is the quality of your sleep environment. Scientists have long known that the environment in which you sleep has a huge impact on the quality of your rest. Poor quality of sleep, even if your sleep schedule is regular, can cause health risks that are very much the same as those that arise from irregular sleep patterns.

Here’s an additional tip: make sure your bedroom is conducive to restful sleep. This means keeping your room dark, quiet, and cool. A temperature of around 65°F (18°C) is ideal for most people. Consider investing in a comfortable mattress and pillows, and avoid screen time at least 30 minutes before bed to allow your brain to unwind.

Irregular sleep, in association with taking caffeine in late parts of the day, can risk heart attack and stroke, but a simple maintenance of a sleep schedule, the reduction of consumption of afternoon caffeine, and sleep environmental awareness can definitely safeguard one's heart along with total health.

Your sleep is more than just a time for rest; it's a vital component of your long-term health, and maintaining consistency in your sleep habits is one of the best things you can do for your heart.

Scientists have created a three-dimensional "heart-on-a-chip" (HOC) model that beats on its own, uses calcium to initiate muscular activity and responds predictably to common drugs in hopes that it will help fight against cardiovascular diseases and heart failure.

This engineered heart is the first to incorporate a dual-sensing platform that provides real-time tracking of activity throughout the heart tissue down to the cellular level, helping scientists measure cellular function, which is critical for preventing heart failure in patients with CVDs.

First author Ali Mousavi, a biomedical engineer at the University of Montreal: "The ability to observe the tissue's response to different compounds in real time represents a major advantage for preclinical development and translational research."

To create their heart-on-chip (HOC) models, researchers collected heart muscle and connective tissue cells from rats. They placed the cells in a gel rich in proteins and nutrients to help them grow, then put them onto tiny, flexible silicon chips.

To measure how the tissue worked, they used two types of sensors. First, they attached the engineered heart tissue between two small elastic pillars. Each time the tissue beat, the pillars bent slightly, and this bending showed how strong the heartbeat was.

Then they placed tiny, soft gel-based sensors inside the tissue. These very small droplets—about 50 micrometers wide—changed shape as the cells contracted. This allowed the researchers to measure mechanical stress at the level of individual cells.

Talking about this development, senior author Houman Savoji, a mechanical and biomedical engineer at the University of Montreal said: "This breakthrough brings us even closer to true precision health by giving us the ability to identify the most effective medication for each person before treatment is even administered."

The Rising Heart Attack Crisis

During a heart attack, a lack of blood flow causes the cells and tissue in the heart muscle to die, leading to irreversible damage that can result in serious complications like arrhythmias, heart failure, cardiogenic shock, or cardiac arrest.

It is one of the leading causes of death in the country. Four Indians experience a heart attack every minute, with one in four dying of the cause. Experts have also noticed a rising trend of nearly 50 percent of heart attack patients being under the age of 40, with half of all heart attacks in Indian men occurring under 50.

Coronary Artery Disease: The Silent KillerCoronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the most common illnesses that can cause a heart attack in people. It develops over years and has no clear signs and symptoms apart from a heart attack.

The illness begins due to a buildup of fats, cholesterol and other substances known as plaque in and on the artery walls.

Over time, this can cause narrowing or blockage of the coronary arteries and block the supply of oxygen-rich blood to the heart which can lead to chest pain (angina), shortness of breath and ultimately, heart attacks.

READ MORE: How This Chinese Medicine Can Improve Blood Flow In Angina Patients

Typically, those above the age of 45, having a biological family member with heart disease, lack of sleep, smoking, consuming saturated fats along with other autoimmune diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, can increase the risk of developing CAD.

Nearly one in 10 Indian adults suffer from CAD and about two million people die from the disease annually. Apart from this, about 18 to 20 million American adults aged 20 and older are also affected about the disease.

How Much You Should Exercise To Prevent CAD?

Moreover, regular exercise can also reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, dementia and Alzheimer’s as well as several types of cancer. It can also help improve sleep, cognition, including memory, attention and processing speed.

Dr Hayes recommends opting for a cardiac evaluation such as an electrocardiogram, or EKG; a stress test; a cardiac MRI or CT scan to generate images of your heart if you notice changes in your ability to exercise or cannot perform consistent levels of exercise.

Long-term exposure to tiny air pollution particles can significantly increase your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease-caused dementia.

Researchers from Emory University, US have found that constant exposure to PM2.5 can affect the brain more directly than scientists have assumed.

They noted: "Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia and a growing public health challenge, especially in aging populations. Our findings suggest that PM2.5 exposure was associated with increased Alzheimer's disease risk, primarily through direct rather than comorbidity-mediated pathways."

The scientists also discovered that those who had suffered a stroke were at a slightly higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, suggesting that strokes may make the brain more vulnerable to air pollution.

"The observed effect modification by stroke may reflect an underlying biological vulnerability in cerebrovascular pathways. Stroke-related neurovascular damage can compromise the blood–brain barrier, facilitating the translocation of PM2.5 particles or their associated inflammatory mediators into the brain."

The observational study was released in PLOS Magazine.

When Does The Risk Increase?

A new IIT Delhi study suggests the air quality may be worse than what conventional surface monitoring stations capture.

During a post-winter-haze day in March 2021, the researchers measured the vertical distribution of fine particulate matter at 20-metre intervals from the surface up to 100 meters through drones.

At 100 meters, PM2.5 concentrations were around 160 micrograms per cubic meter which is about 60 percent higher than surface readings on the same days. They also found that humidity levels were also higher by 70 percent, which promoted the concentration of ammonium nitrate and chloride.

Additionally, the study found that PM2.5 levels increased sharply near the top of this shallow layer, leading to higher concentrations at around 100 metres.

Based on these observations, the researchers concluded that residents in 28–30-storey buildings may face higher exposure to pollutants and inorganic material than indicated by ground-based monitors.

They also noted that drone-mounted low-cost sensors are a much more effective tool for studying the lower atmospheric boundary layer to improve air quality monitoring, model evaluation and mitigation strategies in cities such as Delhi.

What Is Alzheimer’s Disease?Alzheimer's disease is one of the most common forms of dementia and mostly affects adults over the age of 65.

About 8.8 million Indians aged 60 and above are estimated to be living with Alzheimer's disease. Over seven million people in the US 65 and older live with the condition and over 100,00 die from it annually.

Alzheimer's disease is believed to be caused by the development of toxic amyloid and beta proteins in the brain, which can accumulate in the brain and damage cells responsible for memory.

Amyloid protein molecules stick together in brain cells, forming clumps called plaques. At the same time, tau proteins twist together in fiber-like strands called tangles. The plaques and tangles block the brain's neurons from sending electrical and chemical signals back and forth.

Over time, this disruption causes permanent damage in the brain that leads to Alzheimer's disease and dementia, causing patients to lose their ability to speak, care for themselves or even respond to the world around them.

While there is no clear cause of Alzheimer's disease, experts believe it can develop due to genetic mutations and lifestyle choices, such as physical inactivity, unhealthy diet and social isolation.

Early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease include forgetting recent events or conversations. Over time, Alzheimer's disease leads to serious memory loss and affects a person's ability to do everyday tasks.

There is no cure for this progressive brain disorder and in advanced stages, loss of brain function can cause dehydration, poor nutrition or infection. These complications can result in death.

Frequently experiencing deep sleep may help prevent the development of brain changes related to Alzheimer's Disease, the most common form of dementia.

Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University, and UC Irvine in the US have found that people experiencing early symptoms of Alzheimer's performed better on memory function tests as they got more deep sleep.

This sign was found to be independent of education and physical activity, two factors, along with social connection, known to contribute to cognitive resilience in older age.

Those with similar Alzheimer's-linked changes who failed to get as much deep sleep did not do as well on the same tests. By comparison, sleep made little difference to those individuals with few Alzheimer's-related deposits.

The results imply that a frequently being able to sleep deeply frequently could help support the memory decline that sets in as dementia begins to take hold.

UC Berkeley neuroscientist Matthew Walker said of the results: "Think of deep sleep almost like a life raft that keeps memory afloat, rather than memory getting dragged down by the weight of Alzheimer's disease pathology.

"This is especially exciting because we can do something about it. There are ways we can improve sleep, even in older adults."

Previous research has also shown that poor sleep is both a risk factor for and a symptom of Alzheimer's disease, making it tricky for scientists to detect how sleep is linked to neurological damage.

What Is Alzheimer’s Disease?Alzheimer's disease is one of the most common forms of dementia and mostly affects adults over the age of 65.

About 8.8 million Indians aged 60 and above are estimated to be living with Alzheimer's disease. Over seven million people in the US 65 and older live with the condition and over 100,00 die from it annually.

Alzheimer's disease is believed to be caused by the development of toxic amyloid and beta proteins in the brain, which can accumulate in the brain and damage cells responsible for memory.

Amyloid protein molecules stick together in brain cells, forming clumps called plaques. At the same time, tau proteins twist together in fiber-like strands called tangles. The plaques and tangles block the brain's neurons from sending electrical and chemical signals back and forth.

Over time, this disruption causes permanent damage in the brain that leads to Alzheimer's disease and dementia, causing patients to lose their ability to speak, care for themselves or even respond to the world around them.

While there is no clear cause of Alzheimer's disease, experts believe it can develop due to genetic mutations and lifestyle choices, such as physical inactivity, unhealthy diet and social isolation.

Early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease include forgetting recent events or conversations. Over time, Alzheimer's disease leads to serious memory loss and affects a person's ability to do everyday tasks.

There is no cure for this progressive brain disorder and in advanced stages, loss of brain function can cause dehydration, poor nutrition or infection. These complications can result in death.

Can You Detect Alzheimer's Early On?

The blood test, known as Lumipulse, can detect amyloid plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease and has proven to be a “less invasive option” that “reduces reliance on PET scans and increases diagnosis accessibility.”

FDA Commissioner Martin A. Makary said of the landmark decision, "Alzheimer’s disease impacts too many people, more than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined.

"Knowing that 10 percent of people aged 65 and older have Alzheimer's, and that by 2050 that number is expected to double, I am hopeful that new medical products such as this one will help patients."

It remains unclear when this test will be available for commercial use across the world.