Acute Sleep Loss and Arterial Stiffness

Night shift work is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is a commonly used non-invasive measure of arterial stiffness and is strongly associated with CVD. Previous research links sleep loss, like that experienced by shift workers, to elevated levels or abnormal levels of PWV. In addition, there is some research that shows circadian variation in PWV, which has implications for future studies and when PWV should be assessed. The overarching goal of this study is to characterize circadian variation in PWV and determine the impact of acute loss of sleep on PWV during a schedule like that experienced by night shift workers.