Insomnia linked to risk of heart attack

WASHINGTON: According to recent research being presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session Together With the World Congress of Cardiology, people who have insomnia are 69 per cent more likely to experience a heart attack than those who don't during an average nine years of follow-up. Researchers also discovered that persons who slept for five hours or less per night had the highest risk of having a heart attack when using sleep duration as an objective indicator of insomnia. The risk of suffering a heart attack was increased threefold among people who both had diabetes and sleeplessness.

"Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder, but in many ways it's no longer just an illness, it's more of a life choice. We just don't prioritize sleep as much as we should," said Yomna E. Dean, a medical student at Alexandria University in Alexandria, Egypt, and author of the study. "Our study showed that people with insomnia are more likely to have a heart attack regardless of age, and heart attacks occurred more often in women with insomnia." Dean and her research team are hopeful that the current study will help draw attention to the role that sleep disorders may play in heart health. Insomnia may include trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or getting good-quality sleep. Growing in prevalence, insomnia is estimated to affect 10% to 30% of American adults, affecting women more than men. While studies have linked insomnia to cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, this analysis is the largest to date.

"Based on our pooled data, insomnia should be considered a risk factor for developing a heart attack, and we need to do a better job of educating people about how dangerous [lack of good sleep] can be," Dean said.

Based on the pooled data, there was a statistically significant association between insomnia and having a heart attack after controlling for other factors that could make a heart attack more likely such as age, gender, comorbidities and smoking.

"Not surprisingly, people with insomnia who also had high blood pressure, cholesterol or diabetes had an even higher risk of having a heart attack than those who didn't," Dean said. "People with diabetes who also have insomnia had a twofold likelihood of having a heart attack."

Based on the findings, Dean said it is important that people prioritize sleep so they get seven to eight hours of quality sleep a night.

"Practice good sleep hygiene; the room should be dark, quiet and on the cooler side, and put away devices. Do something that is calming to wind down, and if you have tried all these things and still can't sleep or are sleeping less than five hours, talk with your doctor." (ANI)

Also Read: Chronic sleep deprivation may lead to obesity, diabetes: Study

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