A study in the July 1 issue of the journal SLEEP demonstrates that levels of inflammatory markers varied significantly with self-reported sleep duration in women but not men. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156252.php
The study found that both interleukin-6 (IL-6) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels varied with sleep duration in women following multiple adjustments for a number of confounding factors. Compared with women who reported sleeping seven hours on an average weekday, IL-6 levels were significantly lower in women who reported sleeping eight hours. Levels of hs-CRP were significantly higher in women who reported sleeping 5 hours or less. In contrast, adjusted results show no significant variations in inflammatory markers with sleep duration in men.
The study reports that hs-CRP, a nonspecific marker of acute-phase inflammatory response, is predictive of future cardiovascular morbidity, and the relationship of IL-6 to coronary heart disease is similar to that of CRP.
According to lead author Michelle A Miller, PhD, associate professor (reader) of biochemical medicine at the University of Warwick Medical School in the U.K., short-term sleep deprivation studies have shown that inflammatory markers are elevated in sleep-deprived individuals, suggesting that inflammatory mechanisms may play a role in the cardiovascular risk associated with sleep deprivation.