Sleepless nights may raise the likelihood of cardiovascular distress
New Study Reveals Long-term Insomnia Increases Risk of Cardiovascular Disease
A new meta-analysis has found that long-term insomnia is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), including heart attack, hypertension, stroke, and cardiac mortality. The study, which used data from 21 studies that included approximately 389,000 individuals with insomnia and more than 2 million healthy individuals, found that people with insomnia had a 14% higher chance of all-cause mortality compared to healthy individuals and a 31% higher chance of developing any type of cardiovascular disease.
The average age of the study participants was 59.4 years for the insomnia group and 58.6 years for the healthy group. The results showed that people with insomnia had a higher risk of cardiovascular events, including myocardial infarctions and cardiovascular death.
Dr. Nicole Weinberg, a cardiologist, notes that workups for sleep disorders are becoming more common and covered by insurance, allowing for earlier identification and treatment. She also highlights the need to control for variables such as obstructive sleep apnea to determine the exact impact of insomnia on cardiovascular disease. Insomnia is frequently concurrent with obstructive sleep apnea, a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
Dr. Cheng-Han Chen, another cardiologist, recommends healthy sleep habits such as keeping the bedroom cool, dark, and quiet, avoiding caffeine and alcohol, going to sleep around the same time each day, getting regular exercise during the day, and avoiding naps in the afternoon. He also mentions the importance of managing stress as a way to improve sleep.
The study's authors reported a 53% increased risk of heart disease-related death for people with insomnia compared to healthy individuals. The physiological impact of sleep loss was also explored in the study. During normal sleep, especially deep NREM stages, heart rate slows and blood pressure dips, facilitating cardiovascular recovery. Insomnia and fragmented sleep reduce time in these restorative stages, leading to elevated daytime and nighttime blood pressure, a major risk factor for CVD.
The study also found that insomnia can promote hypertension, another risk factor for cardiovascular disease. However, the authors noted that data incorporating recent clinical studies evaluating these outcomes is scarce. There is also significant heterogeneity in insomnia definition across the studies and clinical and methodological variability between the studies. As such, the observational studies' inability to show a causal relationship between insomnia and cardiovascular disease should be taken into account.
Despite these limitations, the consensus is that insomnia acts as an independent, long-term risk factor that exacerbates cardiovascular morbidity and mortality through multiple biological pathways and sustained physiological strain. Thus, addressing insomnia early and maintaining good sleep health is critical for long-term cardiovascular risk reduction. The organization also recommends learning how to manage stress as a way to improve sleep.
- Obstructive sleep apnea is a medical condition that often accompanies insomnia, adding to the risk of cardiovascular disease.
- Apart from heart disease-related death, the study determined that insomnia might also contribute to promoting hypertension, another risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
- Healthy sleep habits, such as maintaining cool, dark, and quiet bedrooms, avoiding caffeine and alcohol, sticking to a consistent sleep schedule, and exercising regularly, help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and improve overall sleep health.
- Mental health plays a role in sleep quality, and managing stress effectively can improve sleep, thus reducing long-term cardiovascular risk.
