“When experienced long term, chronic sleep deprivation reduces activity in the prefrontal cortex — the part responsible for logic, judgment, and impulse control, while overstimulating the amygdala, which controls emotions like anger and fear,” Dr Jain told indianexpress.com. As a result, people may become more emotionally reactive, anxious, and prone to mood swings. To add to that, sleep-deprived people suffer from impulsive decision-making, who find it “harder to manage conflicts or stress calmly”.

Is catching up on sleep during the day the same?

All sleep is not the same, and the quality and timing matter as well. In Ananya’s case, she believes sleeping for hours in the morning would help her make up for staying up all night.

However, Dr Arunesh Kumar, Director & HOD – Pulmonology at Paras Health, Gurugram, pointed out that the issue is not just about odd hours, but about disrupting the body’s natural timing. “The body’s circadian rhythm is designed around daylight. Long-term disruption can weaken immunity, affect lung function, slow metabolism, and raise the risk of hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease,” he explained.

According to him, the impact is not just limited to physical health. “Night wakefulness disrupts hormones like melatonin and cortisol, which regulate sleep, stress and energy,” said Dr Kumar. When these hormones fall out of sync, people may experience irritability, low mood, poor concentration, persistent fatigue, and even changes in appetite or weight, he added.

While it can be assumed that the body is adaptable and adjust itself to the new sleep timings, the shift is never complete. “The body can partially adapt, but it never fully resets,” he said, explaining how daytime sleep tends to be lighter and shorter due to light exposure and environmental noise, leaving the body to function under subtle physiological stress.

What should you watch out for? Dr Kumar said that warning signs appear gradually and can look like constant tiredness despite enough hours in bed, frequent respiratory infections, headaches, mood swings, breathlessness, or increasing reliance on caffeine.

DISCLAIMER: This article is based on information from the public domain and/or the experts we spoke to. Always consult your health practitioner before starting any routine.

Muscle quality matters more than muscle size

Instead of measuring muscle mass alone, the researchers examined skeletal muscle attenuation, which reflects muscle density. Denser muscle appears brighter on CT scans because it absorbs more X-Rays and generally contains less fat.

The analysis found that for every 10-point increase in muscle density, participants were 31 per cent less likely to experience a heart attack and 39 per cent less likely to die during the decade following their scan.

Interestingly, the overall size of a person’s muscles showed no meaningful association with heart attack risk or survival, indicating that muscle quality is more important than muscle bulk.

Exercise could be the key

Although the study did not directly examine exercise habits, researchers believe people with denser muscles are likely to be more physically active and have stronger core muscles.

Professor Michelle Williams, the study’s senior author, said the findings were convincing enough to influence her own fitness routine.

She said she now goes to the gym twice a week and aims to walk for an hour daily, while also favouring activities such as cycling, Pilates and planks, which strengthen the chest, back and core muscles.

However, Williams cautioned that more research is needed to understand exactly how different types of exercise affect muscle density and whether improving muscle quality directly lowers the risk of heart disease.

Potential role in future heart care

The researchers believe AI-powered analysis of routine heart scans could eventually help doctors identify patients with poor muscle quality who may face a greater risk of cardiovascular disease.

Such patients could benefit from personalised exercise programmes, closer medical monitoring or earlier treatment with medications designed to reduce heart attack risk.

Also Read: Why walking gets difficult with age: New study points to the ankles

They also noted that participants with denser muscles were likely to be more physically active, reinforcing the well-established link between regular exercise and a healthier cardiovascular system.

What the findings mean

While the research shows a strong association between muscle density and heart health, it does not prove that stronger chest and back muscles alone prevent heart attacks. Other lifestyle factors, including regular exercise, healthy eating and maintaining a healthy weight, may also contribute to both improved muscle quality and lower cardiovascular risk.

Even so, the study highlights a promising new way of using AI and existing medical scans to identify people who could benefit from earlier interventions, potentially improving long-term heart health outcomes.