Sleep Loss Increases C-Reactive Protein: Inflammation and Heart Disease Risk

How Does Sleep Loss Affect Inflammation and Heart Disease Risk?

Sleep loss significantly increases C-reactive protein (CRP), a key inflammatory marker strongly linked to cardiovascular disease risk. Research shows that even short-term sleep deprivation can elevate CRP levels by 25-50%, indicating increased systemic inflammation that may contribute to atherosclerosis, heart attacks, and strokes. This inflammatory response helps explain why chronic sleep restriction is associated with higher rates of cardiovascular disease, as elevated CRP levels are an independent risk factor for heart disease that rivals traditional risk factors like high cholesterol.

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Sympathetic Nervous System and Catecholamines in Sleep Apnea: Metabolic Impact

How Does Sleep Apnea Affect Stress Hormones and Metabolism?

Obstructive sleep apnea dramatically elevates sympathetic nervous system activity and catecholamine levels, leading to significant metabolic dysfunction and increased cardiovascular risk, this research demonstrates. The study found that OSA patients have 3-4 fold higher levels of norepinephrine and epinephrine compared to healthy controls, with these stress hormones remaining elevated even during wakefulness. This chronic catecholamine excess contributes to insulin resistance, elevated blood glucose, increased blood pressure, and altered lipid metabolism, creating a cascade of metabolic dysfunction that significantly increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. The research reveals that sleep apnea essentially creates a state of chronic stress that persists 24 hours a day, fundamentally altering how the body processes energy and maintains metabolic homeostasis.

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Heart Risk Calculator Often Overestimates Danger, Study Finds

Dr. Kumar’s Take:

Doctors often use a tool called the ASCVD (Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease) Risk Calculator to estimate a person’s chance of having a heart attack or stroke. But this study shows that the calculator may be overestimating that risk—sometimes by a lot—especially for people without diabetes. That means many people may be prescribed statins when they might not need them.

If you’re told to start a statin just based on your risk score, it’s worth discussing the numbers with your doctor and considering other factors like lifestyle, family history, and current health.

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What 50 Years of Fibrate Research Tells Us About Heart Risk

Dr. Kumar’s Take:

This large review study looked at over 53,000 patients to see if fibrates—older cholesterol medications—still offer heart protection. The results were mixed. Fibrates have historically been used for lowering high triglycerides. In this review, they reduced heart attacks and related events, but only in studies where they also lowered LDL cholesterol. Lowering triglycerides alone didn’t seem to reduce heart risk.

In today’s world where many people are already on statins, fibrates may offer little extra benefit unless they’re clearly improving LDL levels. This doesn’t mean fibrates are useless—but they might be most helpful in specific cases where LDL is still high, statins aren’t tolerated, and patient’s are at high risk for heart disease.

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