Too much or too little sleep may be bad for the heart.

Six to eight hours of sleep a night is most beneficial for the heart, while more or less than that could increase the risk of coronary artery disease or a stroke, a study presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress has found.

Data from more than a million adults from 11 studies was analysed as part of the research conducted by the Onassis cardiac surgery centre in Athens.

Compared with adults who got six to eight hours of sleep a night, “short sleepers” had an 11 per cent greater risk, while “long sleepers” had 33 per cent increased risk over the next nine years.

“Having the odd short night or lie-in is unlikely to be detrimental to health, but evidence is accumulating that prolonged nightly sleep deprivation or excessive sleeping should be avoided,” the study’s author, Dr Epameinondas Fountas said.

Meanwhile, another study from Uppsala University in Sweden, published in the journal Science Advances (August 2018), has found that disrupted sleep has a direct influence on metabolism and the body’s balance between fat and muscle mass.

After sleep deprivation, people’s fat tissue showed changes in gene activity that are linked to cells increasing their tendency to absorb lipids and also to proliferate.

By contrast, in muscle the scientists saw reduced levels of structural proteins, which are the building blocks the body requires to maintain and build muscle mass.

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