Intro: Welcome back to another episode of Ask a Scientist. I’m Tanisha Nicole here with Dr. Marishka Brown from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute at NIH to talk about sleep and health. 

TN: Dr. Brown, what does getting good sleep really mean? 

MB: Sleep health is not just the amount of sleep that you get. It’s getting good  quality sleep at the appropriate time that is undisturbed and that is on a consistent schedule. 

TN: And what does the science say about the impact of inconsistent sleep? Can you give an example? 

MB: Independent of other factors, a recent study found that adults whose nightly sleep varied by more than two hours each week were more likely to develop plaques in their coronary arteries. 

TN: Okay we know life happens. Are a few nights of poor sleep really a big deal? 

MB: If you are experiencing more than the occasional night of sleep loss and you feel excessive sleepiness that interferes with your daily activities you may need to discuss your symptoms with a health care provider. 
 
Outro: To learn more about how sleep affects overall health, visit nhlbi.nih.gov.